PHOTO GALLERY
FRESNO, Calif.- Â The Idaho State softball team rode the arms of
Mariah Mulcahy and
Ashlyn Ames in the opening day of the Bulldog Classic at Fresno State to beat UC Davis 7-3 and Cal Poly 1-0.
Mulcahy went six innings, allowing four hits, one earned run and two strikeouts in the win over UC Davis and
Harley Wells earned the save. Against Cal Poly, Ames earned the complete-game shutout by allowing only three hits and striking out two. The ISU pitchers combined for a .64 era on the day.
"I still think pitching did a pretty good job today," Idaho State coach
Candi Letts said. "I am pleased with the pitching. We made the routine plays today. When you make the routine plays you are going to give yourself a chance to win."
 Idaho State had 13 hits on the day, four coming from
Kacie Burnett and three from
Kelsey Breer.
Ashlyn Ames had two. Seven different Bengals had hits on the day. Burnett how has 253 hits for her career and she is tied for first place for most career hits at ISU with Vicky Galasso.
In the opening game, on a chilly Friday morning, ISU smacked 11 hits. Burnett was 3-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. She was a double short of hitting for the cycle. Ames was 2-3 with one RBI and Breer was 2-4 with a homer and one run scored.
Aubrey Creekmore also hit a homer.
The two teams were tied at one after two innings. UC Davis added two runs in the third to lead 3-1 when the Bengals erupted for a four-run fourth inning to take the lead for good.
The inning started with back-to-back home runs. Creekmore started with a homer to left-center and Breer followed on a first-pitch bomb over the left-field fence. Burnett later had an RBI triple and Ames would later single her home.
Burnett hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning to give ISU the 7-3 advantage.
"We have speed and good balance throughout our lineup," Letts said. "We are pretty athletic and we can do a lot of things with our whole lineup."
On Mulcahy earning her first career win as a Bengal Letts said, "What Mariah did well was number one she competed. She adjusted when she needed to make adjustments so they weren't squaring the ball up. We got a lot of ground outs and a couple of double plays. She did a really good job of moving the ball around and keeping batters off balance."
Against Cal Poly, ISU tallied the only run of the game in the fifth inning.
Haley Harrison led off the inning by reaching base on a Cal Poly fielding error. After stealing second she would advance to third on a ground out by Creekmore. Harrison scored the winning run on an RBI single by Breer to left field.
"We have the ability to do a lot of different things in how we win," Letts said. "Ashlyn pitched a tremendous game and Shayna did a great job calling. We have enough speed where Haley surprised them with a bunt. We got the situation where she got to third and a game-winning hit by a freshman. It's all about mental toughness at that point."
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On Ames' performance in the circle Letts said, "Ashlyn kept them off balance. They really never knew what pitch was coming."
The Bulldog Classic continues Saturday at Margie Wright Diamond. ISU plays Cal Poly at 3:30 p.m. mountain time before playing Fresno State at 9 p.m. mountain.
Notes
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Kacie Burnett needs one hit to become the all-time hit leader at ISU.
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Kacie Burnett is now tied for first place for most triples in a career at ISU with 16.
Katelyn Marquez finished her career with 16.
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Mariah Mulcahy earned her first-career win as a Bengal in the circle vs. UC Davis.
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Ashlyn Ames now has 22 wins for her career, ranking her tied for fifth for most wins in ISU history. Amanda Fitzsimmons is in fourth place with 24.
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Ashlyn Ames has 16 career complete games, ranking seventh all-time and Friday was her fifth shutout. That mark ranks fifth.
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