LOS ANGELES – The Fresno State softball team (32-18, 15-7 MW) closed out the regular season with a doubleheader sweep of LMU, winning the first game 3-1 and the second 7-2.
Head Coach Stacy May-Johnson wraps up the 2025 season with her highest overall and conference win totals since taking over the program in 2022.
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME ONE
The Bulldogs were outhit 6-3 in the first game. The three hits came from four different players. Marissa Montelongo had all three RBIs.
Serayah Neiss pitched a complete game in the circle, dishing seven strikeouts. She improves to 17-5 on the season.
Fresno State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Kiara Sipe drew a walk, and Emma Martinez was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Montelongo then stepped up and crushed a three-run home run over the left-field wall.
Neiss and the defense retired the first six batters in order.
LMU answered in the top of the third with a leadoff home run, trimming the deficit to 3-1.
After Fresno State was retired in order in the top of the fourth, the Lions threatened in the bottom half. Back-to-back singles put runners on the corners with one out, but Montelongo and Martinez turned a clutch double play to end the inning and strand both runners.
LMU had another chance in the sixth. After the leadoff batter was retired, a fielding error by the second baseman followed by a double off the wall put runners on second and third. Lauren Almeida came up big, turning a heads-up double play—tagging out the batter and chasing down the runner between second and third before tossing to Bunker for the final tag down the third-base line.
Fresno State held off LMU in the seventh to secure a 3-1 win in game one.
HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME TWO
The Bulldogs tallied their second-most hits this season, outhitting the Lions 15-6. Three Bulldogs had two hits in the contest in Kennedy Bunker, Rylee Bocchini and Lauren Almeida. Bunker also added two RBIs.
Three pitchers saw time in the circle. Key-annah Campbell-Pu'a chalked the start, going 4.1 innings, with Hannah Ortega and Hannah Duncan coming in relief. Campbell-Pu'a earned the win, improving to 8-8 on the season.
Fresno State struck early, scoring two runs in the first inning. Kennedy Bunker reached on a fielding error by the first baseman, and with two outs, Lauren Almeida ripped a double to left field, moving Bunker to third. Madison Rey followed with a single through the left side, driving in both runners to give the Bulldogs an early 2-0 lead.
LMU quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning. Two walks put runners on with one out, and an infield single loaded the bases. After a pop-up to shortstop for the second out, the Lions delivered a two-run single to center field to tie the game at 2-2.
Fresno State regained the lead in the second. Emma Martinez led off with a triple to center, and Rylee Bocchini drove her in with a sacrifice fly to left, making it 3-2.
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 4-2 in the third, scoring a run on three hits.
In the fourth, Fresno State added two more runs on another trio of hits. Bocchini led off with a single through the left side, followed by a bunt single from Marissa Montelongo. Natalie Elias advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt, and Bunker came through with a two-run single, pushing the lead to 6-2.
Olivia Hill scored the final run of the game with a solo home run in the fifth, as Fresno State swept the doubleheader with a 7-2 win in game two.
UP NEXT
Fresno State is headed to the Mountain West Championship, hosted by San Diego State from May 7–10.
With a bye weekend ahead, the Bulldogs won't know their tournament seed until Saturday at the earliest, or Sunday at the latest. Fresno State will either be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed.