Bulldogs hang Hawaii out to dry
Sweep of Rainbow Wahine put 'Dogs in first
Ryan Tubongbanua / The Collegian
Fresno State’s Christina Clark crosses home plate after blasting a two-run home run in the fifth inning against Hawaii. Clark’s home run adds on to her school record in home runs, which now stands at 60. |
By Darrell Copeland III
The Collegian
It was Fresno State’s weekend, and Hawaii was just happy to be a part of it.
The Bulldogs entered the series against the Rainbow Wahine a half-game behind in the Western Athletic Conference standings, but three wins and some career benchmarks put that to an end quickly.
With the Rainbow Wahine visiting Fresno for the first time in three years, this time was the right time for Christina Clark and the Bulldogs to separate themselves from the rest of the WAC field.
A 5-1 thrashing of the Rainbow Wahine (23-17, 7-4) Friday night by the Bulldogs (31-13, 9-1) and a double-header sweep of Hawaii Saturday gave Fresno State a little breathing room at the top of the WAC standings.
“It was unusual to say we were in second to Hawaii,” Bulldogs sophomore Kristin Sylvester said.
Fresno State also defeated the Rainbow Wahine 1-0 and 5-2 consecutively, Saturday, behind the stellar pitching of freshman Robin Mackin and a defense that routinely made astounding plays. The victories give the Bulldogs a one-and-a-half game lead in the conference.
“We knew we had to come in here and sweep them, so we could take control of first place,” Clark said.
Clark did a little house cleaning of her own in the second game Saturday. After No. 9 batter Shannon Garvin led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a single, Clark hit an absolute shot to center field, giving the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead.
“I knew right off the bat it was out,” Clark said.
It just so happened Clark’s brother was hanging out beyond the outfield fence at the time of the home run, which never raised above six feet tall on its way out of the park, as if it was zipped across a clothesline.
The home run became the 60th in Clark’s historic Bulldog career.
Prior to the four-run outburst, the Bulldogs had struggled to plate runners, but Garvin’s lead-off single seemed to be a change of the times.
“You just get that feeling sometimes,” said head coach Margie Wright. “That OK, it’s time, everybody’s had enough.”
Wright also picked up her 1,200 win as a collegiate coach with the sweep of Hawaii.
Clark wasn’t the only standout in the Bulldogs dominated series. Mackin earned her 23rd win of the year, her 11th shutout of the season and lowered her team-leading earned run average to 1.35 in 36 appearances. Her performance in game one Saturday earned her some time off in the series finale, with the Bulldogs having locked up first place for the time being.
“We shouldn’t be [in second place],” Mackin said. “I feel that we deserve to be a first place team.”
The last time Mackin sat out a game was March 11 in a game against San Diego. Mackin is the usual designated player when she is not in the circle.
Despite Mackin being reduced to a cheerleading role in the final game of the series, the Bulldogs were still able to take to dominate the Rainbow Wahine. Amanda Nesbitt’s third start of the year and second win, along with freshman Merryann Barr’s first career save, earned the Bulldogs the win.
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