Got to watch out for those wet spots.
As Fresno State outfielder Brian Lapin explains it, the Bulldogs are having some trouble making it to the top of the hill and beyond.
After this weekend̢۪s 2-of-3 series defeat at the hands of visiting Santa Clara, the evidence couldn̢۪t be more apparent.
“It feels like we’re climbing a hill and hitting a wet spot and falling back down to the bottom,� Lapin said.
In three games against the Broncos (13-11), the Bulldogs (8-13) failed to get on the board first, forcing themselves to take a come-from-behind approach in each game.
In Friday̢۪s 8-7 victory, Fresno State fell behind in first inning, allowing four unearned Broncos runs before eventually pulling out the one-run victory.
It took a bit longer for the Broncos to strike first in game two, but three runs in the top half of the fifth inning forced the Bulldogs to try and pull off another comeback.
And finally, on Sunday̢۪s finale, the Bulldogs fell behind by two runs in the first inning, both unearned off of starter Brandon Burke.
Fresno State coach Mike Batesole has never been shy to state the importance of getting a lead and playing clean defense, something the Bulldogs struggled mightily to do, although Batesole refuses to credit a lack of effort as the reason for the Bulldogs struggles on the weekend.
“The kids are working hard, playing hard … results aren’t happening,� Batesole said.
When the results of playing hard has paid off, the Bulldogs have looked liked a postseason-ready team, putting together long at-bats with clutch hits and error-free defense.
The other problem for the Bulldogs has been consistency. Batesole — in an effort to jumpstart a sometimes stale offensive attack — has inserted multiple players into his lineup, and shuffled other players to different spots in the lineup.
“We’ve gotta find the right combination,� Batesole said. “We haven’t found that yet.�
When that combination finds its steadying point, it will likely mean the Bulldogs as a whole have found their steadying point.
The Bulldogs will continue play through this week, with six games in six days, thanks to the annual Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic, which is set to begin on Wednesday.
It̢۪ll be there that the Bulldogs find out just how tough climbing this season̢۪s hill will be. Once the Bulldogs can climb to the top of that ever-challenging hill, it will be all downhill from there.
It̢۪s just that uphill part that takes some figuring out.
