Although the Fresno State softball team wanted to avenge its loss to the Pacific Tigers, its opportunity was washed out on Wednesday.
Inclement weather canceled the midweek interconference match, forcing the Bulldogs to wait two more days to get back on the diamond.
“We were bummed,” said head coach Trisha Ford. “We would have liked to have gone to Stockton and get some payback, but, unfortunately, we were not able to. It rained the whole time. We tried to get the series moved here, but there were class-conflict issues with Pacific that did not enable us.”
Instead, the Bulldogs return to Mountain West play tonight when they visit the New Mexico Lobos in Albuquerque, N.M.
And they hit the road with a lot of momentum.
Looking back against Utah State
Fresno State swept Utah State last weekend and got shutouts in the first two of the 3-game set.
“We had a very balanced attack,” Ford said. “It wasn’t just one person who came out. We had people from the top to the bottom of our lineup contribute. We did a much better job of executing in hitters’ counts and putting the ball on the ground versus pop-ups.”
Fresno State first baseman Stesha Brazil led the offensive explosion against the Aggies. She had a .625 batting average, a .875 slugging percentage and .727 on-base percentage over the weekend.
“It’s very difficult to beat [the Aggies] three times in a row,” Brazil said, “especially when you have faced them back-to-back. They know all of your flaws, and you know all of theirs.
“I was definitely trying to be more patient. One of the things we had worked on the week prior to [the Utah State series] was pitch selection.”
The Bulldogs’ baserunning was another strength, as they were perfect in stolen bases (9-9). Brazil and Brenna Moss tallied three steals apiece.
“First and foremost, we need to get people on — and the right people — in order for us to execute that game plan,” Ford said. “We did quite a few hit-and-runs that don’t go in the books as stolen bases, but helped us offensively to get some bigger holes on the field that help raise the batting averages.”
“I love stolen bases, because every time she gives me a sign, it’s like a race to me,” Brazil said. “It gets me into scoring position, and I know one of my teammates is going to hit me in.”
Scouting the Lobos
New Mexico (10-23, 1-5 Mountain West) enters the contest having lost three games in a row after being swept by the Nevada Wolf Pack. The Lobos are led by Erica Beach, who was an assistant coach at Ohio State for four seasons.
The Lobos finished the 2013 campaign with a record of 21-35 (3-15 Mountain West). All time, the Bulldogs have a 29-5 advantage over New Mexico.
Naomi Tellez leads the Lobos in different hitting categories. She is hitting .383 with a .617 slugging percentage and .463 on-base percentage this season. She has a team-high eight doubles, 25 RBIs and is second on the team in home runs (four).
Against Mountain West opponents, Tellez’s batting average and slugging percentage increases (.529 and .824, respectively) and has hit one of four Lobo home runs against conference foes.
The Lobos’ weakness has been their pitching. They have a league-worst 7.08 ERA, with Lauren Soles posting a team-high 5.44 and best win-loss record (3-4).
“[Soles] has now stepped up into the starting position,” Ford said. “She’s been their Friday-night starter, has come in in relief on Saturdays and has been the Sunday starter, as well.
“The biggest thing is for us to be patient this weekend. They have a lot of walks as a staff. For us to not help the pitchers out would be important — stay aggressive and wait for that pitch to come over the plate.”