Broncos Swept In Tuesday's Twinbill

Tuesday, March 29

Boise, Idaho (Dona Larsen Park)

4:00 PM

Boise State

8-25, 0-5

Fresno State

20-9-1, 2-0

Fresno State

Boise State

3/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

March 29, 2016

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

BOISE, Idaho -- No. 25 Fresno State hit five home runs in Tuesday's doubleheader against Boise State at Dona Larsen Park, pacing the Bulldogs to the sweep with wins of 17-8 (five innings) and 14-4 (six innings).

The teams will face off in Wednesday's getaway game at noon.

Boise State (8-25, 0-5 MW) did some slugging of its own Friday, hitting five home runs, two from freshman Rebekah Cervantes, but it was not enough against defending Mountain West champion Fresno State (20-9-1, 2-0 MW).

Fresno State 17, Boise State 8 (5): Fresno State's Alyssa Villalpando hit a first-inning grand slam and the Bulldogs hit three home runs en route to a 17-8, five-inning win over Boise State in Tuesday's opener.

The Bulldogs scored six runs in the second inning, thanks in large part to two-run singles from Kierra Willis and Paige Gumz, to take a 10-0 lead after an inning and a half. Bronco starter Nicole Wilson went just an inning and two-thirds, giving up 10 runs (nine earned) on nine hits to fall to 2-6.

Boise State had some bright spots on offense, despite the lopsided nature of the final score. Freshmen Rebekah Cervantes and Morgan Lamb each went deep and combined to go 5-for-5, with Lamb adding a pair of doubles to her three-hit effort. The pair teamed up for Boise State's first two runs, as Lamb led off the second inning with a double followed by Cervantes' homer to center.

Teauna Hughes added her team-leading sixth home run in the third, a solo shot to center, while Kaelie Doyle got her first-career hit, a two-run homer to center, in the fourth. Lamb hit her solo shot in the fifth.

But the Bronco long balls weren't enough against a relentless Bulldog offense. Villalpando finished the game 2-for-2 with seven RBI, while Morgan Howe and Vanessa Hernandez added home runs. Howe and Willis were each 2-for-2 with two RBI while Bria Kennedy finished the game 3-for-3 with three runs scored.

Fresno State added five runs in the third, highlighted by Villalpando's bases-loaded, three-run double, and Howe's two-run homer, then scored twice in the fourth.

Bronco infielder/outfielder Cassidy Edwards made her collegiate debut in the circle, going the final three innings and giving up five runs on five hits with a strikeout.

Bulldog starter Jill Compton went the distance, giving up eight runs on nine hits with five strikeouts to notch her 10th win of the season.

Fresno State 14, Boise State 4 (6): Bria Kennedy broke a 2-2 tie with a solo home run to lead off the fifth inning, and Kierra Willis followed later in the frame with a two-run shot as Fresno State went on to a 14-4, six-inning win to complete the doubleheader sweep.

Fresno State took a 2-0 lead on a two-run error by Bronco shortstop Rebekah Cervantes in the third, but the rookie got those back for Boise State with a two-run homer in the fourth. She hit her second home run of the game in the sixth, a two-run shot to make it 14-4.

But Cervantes' home runs were just two of six Bronco hits in the game, as Fresno State starter Kamalani Dung overcame the mistakes to improve to 4-0.

For the Broncos, Mackenzie McGill gave up seven runs (five earned) on nine hits, falling to 3-5 on the season. McGill had gotten out of a couple of jams with runners in scoring position, most notably escaping a one-out, runners-at-second-and-third situation in the fourth, but her luck ran out with Kennedy's leadoff shot and Willis' two-run homer in the fifth.

Fresno State sent 13 batters to the plate and scored seven times in the sixth to get past eight-run lead needed to end the game early. The Bulldog frame was highlighted by a two run double from Alyssa Villalpando and an RBI double from Morgan Howe.

Willis and Hernandez each went 2-for-4 with three RBI for Fresno State, while Kennedy was 2-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored.