Juan Villa / The Collegian..

Final tune-up before WAC play a sweep

The Fresno State softball team did a little house cleaning at home before hitting the road for its first conference games of the season.

A Wednesday night double-header sweep of Ohio gave Bulldogs coach Margie Wright something to look forward to after the Bulldogs won a pair of games against the Bobcats, 6-0 and 11-0, respectively.

“We just really needed to let go and start playing ball,” Wright said.

Apparently letting go consists of scoring 18 runs on offense and allowing no runs on defense as the Bulldogs dominated in every possible element of the two games.

With Western Athletic Conference rival Nevada set to host the Bulldogs for a three-game series this weekend, Fresno State wanted to make sure all facets of its game were ready for conference play. After Wednesday, the Bulldogs should have little doubt.

In the circle, the Bulldogs got another dominant effort out of Robin Mackin, who struck out 10 Ohio hitters in a three-hit shutout.
The Bobcats didn̢۪t fare any better against Merryann Barr in game two, where Barr needed only five innings to finish off the Bobcats due to a mercy rule.

Despite the fact that nobody will confuse Ohio with top-notch teams like then-No.2 Arizona State or the other top- 25 teams the Bulldogs have faced, it was still important to reestablish their confidence and see a pay-off.

“We have our ups and downs like any team does,” Fresno State first baseman Kristin Sylvester said. “I think we’re one of the hardest working teams and I think that’s gonna pay off.”

Sylvester, along with second baseman Jenna Cervantez, experienced more than their fair share of ups after each continued the recent trend of being an offensive catalyst. Cervantez hit a long home run in the first game, while Sylvester slammed two home runs in the second game.

To cap off the successful night, the Bulldogs had an error-free defensive effort, which included many highlight-reel plays to preserve the two shutouts.

The Bulldogs are just hoping the effort rolls over into conference play, as they have no intentions of being anyone̢۪s victim.

“We want to beat everybody,” Wright said. “It is unrealistic for anybody to be undefeated, but that’s how you have to approach it.”