Matt Weir / The Collegian

̢۪Dogs split with Wolf Pack and keep postseason hope alive

It may be a steep climb, but the Fresno State baseball team̢۪s ascent to qualify for the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament is still alive.

After dropping both games in Saturday̢۪s doubleheader to Nevada at Pete Beiden Field, the Bulldogs needed a Wonderdog-esque performance from someone on Sunday to stay relevant in the conference race.

Turns out junior first baseman Alan Ahmady still has some of that magic dust on his jersey from last season.

Ahmady hit a walk-off homer over the left field scoreboard in the bottom of the ninth inning in Sunday̢۪s first game, to give the Bulldogs an 8-6 victory.

Fresno State trounced the Wolf Pack, 12-5, in the nightcap on Sunday to earn the 2-2 series split.

The Bulldogs are now 6-10 in conference and tied with Sacramento State for last in the WAC. Only the top six of seven teams in the conference get to go to Hawaii for the WAC Tournament.

“It was hard to stop us today because we had a chip on our shoulder,â€Â Ahmady said. “Coming into this season we had a lot of high hopes, but now we’re in this position so we gotta keep moving forward.â€Â

The Bulldogs were forced to play two doubleheaders this weekend due to a rainout on Friday. Fresno State lost by scores of 15-11 and 16-4 on Saturday.

The 16-4 defeat was the first time Fresno State has lost by the mercy rule in school history.

Coach Mike Batesole said the pitching staff and defense will need to start clicking more if they hope to be in Hawaii for the WAC Tournament.

The Diamond ̢۪Dogs made seven errors over the weekend, including five in the first game on Saturday.

“By getting two [wins] today that gives us hope again,â€Â Batesole said. “If we play like we did [Sunday] it’s right there for us. Until somebody kicks us out of there and we’re eliminated, we’re going to keep fighting it out.â€Â

Senior pitcher Holden Sprague will need to keep pitching like he did on Sunday if the Bulldogs hope to have a chance during the stretch run.

The veteran right-hander picked up both wins on the mound on Sunday, including a complete-game effort in the second game.

His other win came in a relief appearance in game one when he pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
Success against the Pack is nothing new for Sprague.

He beat the Wolf Pack in last season̢۪s WAC title game in Ruston, La. to send the Bulldogs to Regionals.

“We haven’t put any extra pressure on ourselves,â€Â Sprague said. “These two games give us good momentum going into next week. Finishing strong is always something that we do.â€Â

This season may be a different story though if the Bulldogs don̢۪t start winning some series in the WAC.

The Bulldogs have split three series and got swept by Louisiana Tech in the other. With Hawaii and Sacramento State remaining on the schedule, the Bulldogs will need to changes things fast.

“We needed to win three out of four the last three weekends,â€Â Batesole said. “We got two this weekend so that means we need to get three out of four and a sweep [in the two remaining series].â€Â

The Bulldogs will host Hawaii for a four-game set starting on Thursday night and close the season at Sacramento State.

That final series against the Hornets could very well determine the Bulldogs̢۪ postseason future, or lack thereof.

“It will be tough, but we had our backs up against the wall a bunch of times last year and we overcame it,â€Â Sprague said. “There’s no difference from this year to last.â€Â