RENO - After a month and a half on the road, the Nevada softball team's return home wasn't as sweet as the weather surrounding the Truckee Meadows.
Robin Mackin pitched a one-hit shutout to power Fresno State past Nevada, 10-0, Friday afternoon before 177 fans at Idewild Park.
"We've got to make some changes. Bottom line is it's about attitude," Nevada coach Michelle Gardner said. "We need to come out and play tomorrow."
The Wolf Pack (7-23, 0-4 Western Athletic Conference) hosts the Bulldogs (25-11, 1-0) today in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. after spending all of February and the first three weeks of March away from Reno.
Fresno State hammered the Nevada pitching staff of Jordan McPherson and Katie Holverson as the Bulldogs tallied 11 hits, including a trio of home runs from Ashley White, Michelle Palazuelo and Jenna Cervantez.
"They put pressure on us, and we didn't put any pressure on them. That was pretty much it," said Tyler Schafer, who had the Wolf Pack's lone hit in the third inning.
Mackin finished with five strikeouts and walked one.
"Mack threw a good game against us," Gardner said.
Schafer said the offense had difficulties handling Mackin, but Nevada should be able hit Fresno State today.
"We have nothing to lose now. We might as well come out tomorrow and change," Schafer said. "We need to be more aggressive. We can't be afraid, and we need to take some hacks."
The junior outfielder said it doesn't matter who's pitching, but the team needs to lay off the high risers.
"Everything's the same, every pitch," Schafer said. "We need to stay off the rise ball and be better. We'll learn from it, and by all means, don't let it happen again."
White and Palazuelo each had solo shots in the second inning off McPherson to put Fresno State ahead 2-0. White belted hers with one out in the inning to right centerfield, while Palazuelo's blast came one out later down the left field line.
Cervantez drove in three runs on her blast off Holverson to left centerfield in the fifth inning with one out to give the Bulldogs a large enough lead to end the game on the 8-run, 5-inning mercy rule.
Gardner said she wasn't sure who would start the first game of today's doubleheader because of how the Bulldogs comfortably handled the Wolf Pack's pitching.
"I'm going to throw whatever I can to win," she said. "It doesn't really matter. We need to come out stronger. We'll get a better pitching performance tomorrow, I hope."