Matt Weir / The Collegian
Melloh pitches a shutout and offense explodes in sixth in WAC Tournament win against Boise
On a beautiful late-spring morning when many were heading to class and gearing up for finals, the Bulldog softball team began its run towards a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament title.
It became a gritty defensive battle until the ‘Dogs broke loose in the bottom of the sixth inning. There were diving catches, pitching battles and a game-winning RBI from Alexis Lujan – all before noon.
The Fresno State women̢۪s softball team began the WAC Tournament with a 4-0 win over Boise State on the strength of great pitching by Morgan Melloh and the bats of Haley Perkins, Alexis Lujan, and Lisamarie Coronado, who showed up right when the team needed them.
Both teams struggled offensively most of the morning, with neither scoring through the first five innings of the game. Perkins reached second base in the bottom of the third, but her effort was thwarted after Boise̢۪s center fielder robbed Alexis Lujan with a diving catch. A pitch struck Perkins in the head earlier in the game, adding to her frustration.
“They didn’t know who they were messing with,â€Â coach Margie Wright said after the win, “because when we needed it the most [Perkins] started it off.â€Â
Lujan added, “When I got robbed, that just made me even more motivated. I wanted to win it for the team.â€Â
Matt Weir / The Collegian
Perkins reached first off a single in the bottom of the sixth with no outs. She advanced to second on a ground ball by Haley Gilleland. Boise State walked the next two batters, loading the bases. Alexis Lujan became the hero of the morning by hitting a two-run double, breaking the 0-0 deadlock.
Coronado batted next, hitting a two-run double of her own to put the game largely out of reach at 4-0. The Broncos failed to get a runner on base in the top of the seventh, ending the game.
Melloh threw a two-hit shutout in her 40th start of the year, improving to 26-14 in the circle. She also moved to second all-time for Fresno State with 851 career strikeouts.
Melloh spoke humbly of her performance, saying “I was a little tight at first, but I calmed down after the first inning.â€Â
Boise State earned their place in Thursday̢۪s 10 a.m. game by beating San Jose State on the first day of the tournament. Fresno State earned a bye in the double-elimination tournament by winning the regular-season title.
Wright made it clear she was unhappy with the early start time. She considered it an undeserved punishment for the conference’s top-seeded team, saying, “I think the conference really needs to re-evaluate when the No. 1 seeds play.â€Â
Asked if she thought the early start time would hurt the program financially, she responded, “I was more concerned about [the players] missing class.â€Â
Next up for the Bulldogs is Louisiana Tech today at 2 p.m. The Lady Techsters beat Hawaii 7-1 on day one of the tournament and blanked Nevada 4-0 in Thursday̢۪s afternoon game.
Louisiana Tech is led by pitcher Meghan Krieg, who has allowed only one run in two complete games so far in the tournament.
The WAC Tournament concludes Saturday with games at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Wright said, “The first one is always the toughest.â€Â If she’s right, No. 25 Fresno State should win another conference championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament.