Bulldogs strand runners 11 runners in extra-innings loss

The Fresno State softball team team missed a chance to sweep Boise State in Mountain West action Sunday.

The Bulldogs left runners stranded in scoring position during the sixth, seventh and eighth before falling 2-1 to the Broncos in nine innings.

Nonetheless, Fresno State (22-11, 4-2) won the three-game series after winning 9-0 in six innings Friday and 8-2 on Saturday.

“It’s very frustrating because we had our opportunities to win it,” Bulldogs coach Linda Garza said. “As long as we learn from this experience, we’ll be fine.”

Bulldogs pitchers Kamalani Dung and Savannah McHellon held Boise State to just four runs for the entire series.

The Broncos (21-9, 3-3) entered the weekend ranked ninth in the nation with a .348 batting average and 11th in runs per game at 6.96.

Dung threw a three-hit shutout over five innings Friday.

McHellon scattered five hits for two runs (one earned) Saturday.

Then Dung was working a shutout through five innings Sunday.

But she surrendered a solo homer to Boise State No. 3 hitter Rebekah Cervantes in the sixth for the first run.

The Bulldogs managed to tie the gscore in the bottom half of the sixth on Vanessa Hernandez’s RBI.

But Fresno State failed to add more runs and left the bases loaded.

The Bulldogs also left runners on first and second during the seventh, and placed runners on first and second with no outs in the eighth but still couldn’t score.

In all, Fresno State stranded 11 runners.

Fresno State’s Morgan Howe finished 2 for 5 with one run.

This story was originally published March 26, 2017 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Bulldogs strand runners 11 runners in extra-innings loss."