Make no mistake, Fresno State softball pitcher Jill Compton showed up to work.
She pitched in three games for 15 2/3 innings and allowed one earned run for a 0.46 ERA against the UNLV Rebels over the weekend.
“I’m trying to cut down the walks,” Compton said, “because it’s something I’ve been struggling with. Getting ahead of the batters has helped me. Coach and I have been working a lot in the bullpen to throw strikes and mix around my pitches.”
Two of those games she started (and finished). Her lone loss came in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday
“The first game on Saturday, she pitched phenomenally,” said Fresno State head coach Trisha Ford. “She had one bad hit, but we just have to score and do a better job of supporting her.”
Sunday’s contest ended in a 1-0 decision for Fresno State. Brooke Ortiz scored the only run in the game after a fielding error by UNLV second baseman Jaexie Balilea. The Rebels threatened to tie the game in the top of the seventh when Emilie Valadez was in scoring position, but Compton retired the side to get the shutout.
“We got one run for her, and she held off,” Ford said. “She just really went to work. You can see her tempo. She had great confidence and great mound presence today.
“She’s feeling good, and it’s a good part of the season for her to start to feel good.”
Saturday saw more offense from Fresno State against UNLV pitcher Morgan Ettinger. In the fifth inning, Michelle Solomon blasted a three-run home run to left-center field that was followed by a solo shot to the same spot by cleanup hitter Stesha Brazil.
Fresno State pitcher Hannah Harris blanked the Rebels until the seventh inning. A Tayler Van Acker single brought home UNLV’s first run of the contest. With the bases loaded, Ford sent in Compton to get the final two outs of the game for her first save of the season.
Now the Bulldogs are tied for first place in the conference with the Colorado State Rams who are visiting Bulldog Diamond for a three-game set that begins Friday.
“It’s exciting,” Ford said. “For us to be in this situation is what we’ve played for all season. We control our own destiny. We’re just putting ourselves in position to win. That’s what we need to do: just take it game-by-game, pitch-by-pitch.”
