It took some late game heroics and a brilliant performance out of the bullpen from Alyssa Ramirez, but the Fresno Softball team defeated Cal State Bakersfield 4-3 in 9 innings on the road Tuesday.
With the win, the Bulldogs have now won five straight under Head Coach Charlotte Morgan, improving to 9-7 on the season.
Key Players
Alyssa Ramirez: W, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, K
Tiara Westbrook: 3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Olivia Hill: 1-for-1, 2 R, 3 BB
What happened
The Dogs fell behind early on Tuesday. Two singles and a throwing error in the first inning allowed Bakersfield to score first on Fresno State freshman Alyssa Loza. The Bulldogs got the run right back though. After a one out walk from Olivia Hill, Tiara Westbrook pulled a ball down the left field line for an RBI double to tie the game.
Bakersfield loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the third for second baseman Jillian Sanchez, who singled to right, giving the Roadrunners a 3-1 lead. All three of Loza’s runs were unearned. She struck out four in three innings before Morgan turned it over to Alyssa Ramirez.
Like the second inning, Hill worked a one out walk in the fourth with Westbrook following it up with an RBI double, this time finding the right center gap.
Bakersfield held a 3-2 lead going into the 7th inning, with starter Cedes Saldana looking to close the game out. Rylee Bocchini made that tough for her, pulling out an infield single to lead off the inning. Arianna Aguayo pinch ran for the Bulldog catcher and would score later in the inning on a game-tying triple from senior Natalie Elias.
Like de ja vu, Bocchini led off the ninth with a single. She would advance to second on a sacrifice and to third on a passed ball. Emma Martinez would bring in the go-ahead run on another infield single.
Ramirez was untouchable in relief, retiring 18 of the 20 batters she faced, allowing just one hit in six shutout innings to pick up the win.
What’s next
The Bulldogs road trip continues to Silicon Valley Classic this weekend with a doubleheader (3:00/5:30 p.m.) at St. Mary’s on Saturday, March 7. They will then play two at Santa Clara the next day, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Fresno State returns to Margie Wright Diamond on Friday, March 13th for a three game series as they welcome Utah State to town to begin Mountain West Conference play.
Recap written by Al Scott, cover photo courtesy of Jazmin Alvarado (FSM).