[WAHINE SOFTBALL]
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She's all that. The losses drop the Wahine
2 games behind the
Bulldogs for first placeBy Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.comEven though freshman pitcher Jamie Southern didn't bring what most would consider her "A" game on the plane ride from Oklahoma City, Fresno State's All-American candidate was still impressive.
Southern (27-6), the national ERA leader (0.35), gave up a season-high 10 hits -- including two home runs -- for the first time in 40 appearances. But the right-hander didn't allow a run after the third inning as the Bulldogs pulled away to a 6-4 victory over Hawaii in the first game of a doubleheader last night.
In the nightcap at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, the 13th-ranked Bulldogs completed the sweep with a 3-2 win over Hawaii in eight innings.
"I thought our team did well answering back," Fresno State coach Margie Wright said. "We hit the ball well and played good defense. They (Hawaii) have a very good team and we knew that coming in."
Lori Hoffman blasted the first pitch of the eighth over the center-field fence for the game-winner.
Fresno State (40-13, 11-1) ran its win streaks to 12 overall and eight in Western Athletic Conference play. Hawaii (29-19, 10-4) fell two games behind the Bulldogs in the standings going into today's 2 p.m. doubleheader.
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The second game was the pitching duel that had been anticipated for the opener. FSU's Leslie Poole (12-3) made only two mistakes in scattering four hits, both of which resulted in Hawaii runs.The first was an illegal pitch in the fourth that scored Stacey Porter to tie it at 1. The second was a meatball opening pitch that Porter connected on for her second homer of the day, tying it at 2 in the sixth.
Senior third baseman Lindsay Fossatti drove in FSU's first two runs, a solo homer in the first and an RBI-double in the fifth.
Wahine freshman pitcher Shannon Tabion (3-3) pitched well in the complete-game outing. She got out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, getting the final two outs on a strikeout and a pop-up.
The Bulldogs are 5-3 in extra-inning contests.
FSU 6, Hawaii 4: In the opener, Southern found herself trailing 4-3 after four innings, having given up a pair of two-run homers, the first to Kate Judd in the bottom of the first and the second to Porter in the bottom of the third.
But as the sun began to set and the field cool down, Southern heated up. She recorded five of her six strikeouts over the final four innings and got out of a two-on, no-out jam in the fifth thanks to a double play.
The Wahine threatened again in the bottom of the sixth, putting runners at second and third with one out. But Porter and Denise Dahlberg were stranded when pinch hitter April Crowell flied out to left and Marie Jackson became Southern's sixth strikeout victim on a questionable called third strike.
The Bulldogs retook the lead with two runs in the fifth, taking advantage of a hit batter, an error, a walk, a single and a wild pitch.
Wahine starter Sheri Oronoz (17-9), who had been battling the flu all week, left after hitting Pam Perez and walking Fossatti.
An error loaded the bases for Hawaii reliever Melissa Coogan. After Perez was gunned down at the plate, pinch runner Sha Oliver scored on a wild pitch to tie it at 4.
Lori Hoffman lined a full-count pitch up the middle to score Southern to put Fresno State ahead for good. The Bulldogs added an insurance run in the sixth when Vanessa Czarnecki scored on Fossatti's single.
Fossatti finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs, including what would be the first of two homers on the day, this one a two-run shot in the third.
At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium WAC
Fresno St. 6, Hawaii 4 (1st)
Fresno State 3, Hawaii 2 (2nd)First game
Fresno St. 003 021 0 -- 6 11 0 Hawaii 202 000 0 -- 4 10 2 Jamie Southern and Pam West. Sheri Oronoz, Melissa Coogan (5) and Jennifer Tandarich.
WP -- Southern (27-6); LP -- Oronoz (17-9).
Leading hitters--FSU: Lindsay Fossatti 2-3, HR, 3 RBI; Lori Hoffman 2-4, 2 RBI; Pam West 2-4. UH: Natalie Gonzales 3-4; Kate Judd 1-2, HR, 2 RBI; Stacey Porter 2-3, HR, 2 RBI; Denise Dahlberg 2-3.
Second game
Fresno St. 100 010 01 -- 3 12 3 Hawaii 000 101 00 -- 2 4 0 Leslie Poole and Pam West. Shannon Tabion and Jennifer Tandarich.
WP--Poole (12-3); LP--Tabion (3-3).
Leading hitters--FSU: Tiffany Whipple 2-5, 2b, run; Lindsay Fossatti 2-2, 2b, HR, 2 BB, run, 2 RBIs; Vanessa Czarnecki 2-4. UH: Stacey Porter 2-4, HR, BB, 2 runs, RBI.
UH Athletics