BOISE, Idaho — For the first time in five years, the Boise State softball team is returning to the City of Trees as the Mountain West Conference regular season champions. The Broncos clinched the throne with a 3-0 victory over Fresno State Friday night.
Fifth-year pitcher Lindsey Walljasper allowed just one hit in Friday's win, while tossing five strikeouts in seven innings. Walljasper improves to 13-4 on the season for the Broncos (31-14, 16-4 MW).
In the batter's box, Boise State jumped out to a 1-0 in the third inning thanks to an RBI-single from redshirt-senior catcher Serena Hutchingson. The single into center field scored Autumn Bennett.
Freshman phenom and Eagle High School graduate Sydney Groves' sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth gave the Broncos more breathing room. Ashlyn Whalen, who singled earlier in the inning, was able to score on Groves' fly-out to put Boise State up 2-0.
Looking to extend the lead and back Walljasper on the dish, Boise State put another run on the board in the top of the seventh inning to make it 3-0. Standout outfielder Kelsey Hall's two-out single scored sophomore Mykenzie Hanna.
Head coach Justin Shults' squad tore through the Mountain West this spring, winning 16 of 20 conference games to claim the regular-season title.
Entering Friday's contest in Fresno, Boise State led the conference in batting average (.313), runs (326), home runs (79), doubles (70), RBIs (313) and slugging percentage (.591).
Boise State clinched its spot in the Mountain West Championship on Tuesday, and will enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed. The post-season tourney runs May 11 - May 13 and is hosted by San Diego State.
The Broncos can sweep the three-game series against the Bulldogs (22-30, 9-12 MW) on Saturday in their final regular season game of the season. The contest begins at 12 p.m. MT and airs on the Mountain West Network.
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