SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Fresno State took both games of the doubleheader 8-4 and 5-3 over Santa Clara softball on a warm Tuesday at the Santa Clara University Softball Stadium where the temperature reached into the 80s.     

Game 1: Fresno State 8 - Santa Clara 4

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Fresno State (20-10) scored four runs in the opening inning, added two runs each in the fourth and fifth to take a 8-0 lead to cruise to a 8-4 win in the first game of the doubleheader. 
• Hannah Ortega and Keyannah Pu'a combined to allow six hits and four runs with just one of them earned over their seven innings of work.  Ortega went the first 4 1/3 innings to pick up the win and move to 3-0 on the year.  
• In the first, the Bulldogs sent nine batters to the plate against Broncos starter Hazyl Gray, stringing together four hits.  Lauren Almeida, Alyssa Ramirez, Taryn Irigoyen and Madison Rey each had an RBI with all but Ramirez's coming on a base hit.
• Fresno State scored a pair of runs in the fourth on Emma Martinez's RBI grounder and Kennedy Bunker's double to stretch the lead to 6-0.  The lead would swell to 8-0 with two more runs in the fifth against reliever Kendal Manley before the Broncos could answer. 
• Santa Clara (18-13) cut the lead in half to 8-4 in the fifth with the big hit coming from Hope Alley's bases clearing triple to score three. 
• Eight Bulldogs had an RBI and the team had a total of 11 hits.  Kyla Acres was the only other Bronco besides Alley to drive in a run.  
• Gray dropped to 7-2 on the season.  

Game 2: Fresno State 5 - Santa Clara 3 (10)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The pitching staffs of Fresno State (21-10) and Santa Clara's (18-14) kept the game deadlocked at 1-all heading to the 10th inning before the Bulldogs scored four runs to outlast the Broncos 5-3 in the extra inning affair.  
• In the 10th with the international tiebreaker rule in effect, Natalie Elias' grounder scored the first run as it went through the legs of shortstop Rebecca Rubio.  Kennedy Bunker had a two RBI triple  and Lauren Almeida had a sacrifice fly as the three runs were unearned against Cari Ferguson.  The Bronco hurler was the hard luck loser, pitching well in her 5 1/3 innings of relief of starter Hannah Edwards.  
• Santa Clara tried to mount a comeback in the home half of the 10th scoring two runs on Hazyl Gray's RBI single and Robynn Balmediano's sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 5-3.  Leiora Davidson represented the potential game-tying run at the plate with a runner on base but she flied out to right to end the inning.  
• Three Bulldog pitchers - Keyannah Pu'a, Hannah Duncan and Serayah Neiss - combined to scatter 11 hits, three runs, two earned over 10 innings.  Neiss pitched the final 6 1/3 innings in relief to earn the win and go to 8-3 on the year.  
• Santa Clara scored in the first inning on Hope Alley's single but the Bulldog pitching staff kept the Bronco bats at bay until the 10th. 
• Fresno State tied it in the fourth with Lauren Almeida's RBI single.  Bunker and Almeida had two RBIs each. 
• Cairah Curran had three of the 11 hits for SCU.  

NEXT UP:

• Santa Clara heads down to play UC Santa Barbara for a doubleheader on Wednesday.       

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