FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State softball team defeated the New Mexico Lobos 3-1 on Friday night at Margie Wright Diamond.
Taylor Gilmore pitched a complete game gem for Fresno State (13-19, 2-2 Mountain West), who limited New Mexico's high-octane offense to just a single run.
Fresno State junior leftfielder Keahilele Mattson went 3-for-3 at the plate and also walked and scored the game-deciding run for the 'Dogs in the series opener.
With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 53-9 all-time against New Mexico (16-19, 3-4 MW) entering the final two games of the series.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1 – Fresno State 3, New Mexico 1
Early in the game, Fresno State took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third when Juliana Wilson singled to left field, which led to two runs as pinchrunner Ava Tingey and Mattson both scored on the play.
In the bottom of the fifth up with the Bulldogs up 2-1, Alyssa Rebolledo added an insurance run for Fresno State with a RBI single through the right side to drive in Jamie Hicks and take a 3-1 lead over the Lobos.
Gilmore went the distance courtesy of a dazzling 7.0 innings and allowed just the one run on five hits and a walk, along with four strikeouts against a Lobo squad that had averaged 13 hits and nearly 10 runs per game in its last five contests.
The complete game was Gilmore's first this season and the second for the Bulldogs' pitching staff in 2023.
NEXT UP
Fresno State continues its three-game series with New Mexico with two more games this weekend at Margie Wright Diamond.
On Saturday, Fresno State and UNM face off at 12 p.m. PT with Hall of Fame coach Margie Wright returning to throw out the first pitch on a day which will honor former alumnae teams from 1983, 1993, 2003 and 2013.
The Bulldogs and Lobos will then meet in the series finale on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. PT.