Fresno State earned the No. 3 seed to the upcoming WAC Tournament at Bulldog Diamond May 11-14.
May 7, 2011
Box Score: Nevada 8, Fresno State 4 (Game 1)
Box Score: Fresno State 5, Nevada 0 (Game 2)
Photo Gallery: 2011 Softball Senior Day
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State softball team closed the 2011 regular season by splitting a Western Athletic Conference doubleheader with the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Diamond to secure a tie for second place and a No. 3 seed for the upcoming WAC Tournament.
Fresno State (31-15, 15-6 WAC) beat Nevada 5-0 in both team's regular season finale after dropping Saturday's early game by the final of 8-4.
The Dogs will next face Louisiana Tech at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening to begin their quest for a fourth WAC Tournament title and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Fresno State is the nation's only program to qualify for all 29 previous NCAA Tournaments.
Senior Haley Gilleland stole two bases during the doubleheader to reach 25 on the season - two shy of tying Karen Tabor's school record of 27 during the 1980 campaign.
Fresno State's Michelle Moses (14-10) earned the complete game win in the series finale as the Bulldogs used the power of freshman Brooke Ortiz's second-inning two-run double and Demi Walker's two-run blast in the sixth to headline a dominating final tune-up for the postseason.
In the day's opener, the Wolf Pack quickly grabbed the momentum with two runs in the first and one more in the third for a 3-0 lead despite some stellar defense that turned three double plays in the first three innings.
Moses, who played first base in the opener, participated in all three double plays to tie Jenna Cervantez's school record.
The Dogs struck back with three runs in the third on Michelle Moses' two-run double to the right field fence and Andrea Ortega's heads-up scamper home following a wild pitch by Nevada's Ariel Craig.
But the Pack added four runs over the next two innings to pull away and lift Craig (1-2) to her first win of the year.
Dogs Honors Senior Class
Before the games, the Bulldogs honored their 2011 senior class - Nicole Angene, Ashley Cox, Haley Gilleland and Caitlin Stiglich - who are all on track to graduate either this May or Fall, owns a 164-69 record over the past four seasons while guiding the program to a 2009 WAC regular-season title, two WAC Tournament championships and three NCAA appearances, including the playing in three consecutive regional final games.
2011 WAC Tournament All-Session Tickets on Sale
All-session tickets for the 2011 WAC Softball Tournament hosted by Fresno State at Bulldog Diamond May 11-14 are on sale now. The all-session pass is good for all 10 games (11 if the second game on Saturday is necessary). Single day tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Tuesday, May 10. Tickets can be purchased online at www.gobulldogs.com, over the phone at (559) 278-3647 or at the Bulldog Ticket Office.
"We Are You Team!" - Fresno State will host the 2011 Western Athletic Conference Tournament May 11-14. Tickets are available by calling 278-DOGS or visiting the 2011 WAC Tournament Central. You can always stay connected with Fresno State Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@FSAthletics).
