Sophomore pitcher Tyler Linehan started for the ‘Dogs Friday night.
Linehan pitched 5.2 innings, allowing five hits for two earned runs
for a no decision.
James Ramirez / The Collegian

The Fresno State Diamond ‘Dogs took the reigns of the opening game of a three-game series on Friday and did something no other team has done this season ”” take down the top-ranked Stanford Cardinal ”” by a score of 7-4. The ‘Dogs, however, were then subsequently beaten back by the Cardinal, losing the final two games of the series, 16-0 on Saturday and 9-2 on Sunday.

Friday’s seesaw battle featured sophomore Tyler Linehan taking the mound against junior Mark Appel.­ Aaron Judge led the way for the Bulldogs, hitting back-to-back home runs, his first two of the season.

The Bulldogs got the lead first in the second inning off a 2-run home run by Judge, which sailed over the left field fence.

“When I go out there I have confidence knowing that the person behind me is going to get the job done if I don’t,” Judge said. “So having that freedom really helps out a lot.”

The Cardinal answered back in the third with its own 2-run double by Brian Ragira to take even the score at 2-2.

The Bulldogs briefly reclaimed the lead in the fourth inning on Judge’s second home run of the night, bringing the score to 3-2.

With the bases loaded for the Cardinal in the fifth, Stephen Piscotty connected for a 2-run single and advanced to second on an error. The Bulldogs escaped the inning without further damage, stranding three Cardinal baserunners as they closed out the inning.

In the sixth, the ‘Dogs loaded the bases and tied the game on an Austin Wynns’ RBI single. Chris Marscal followed, clearing the bases with a 3-run double to right-center field to cap the four-run inning, 7-4.

Bulldog pitcher Justin Haley took the win after entering the game midway through the fifth inning. Haley retired all ten batters he faced, three by strikeouts. Linehan finished after five and two-third innings, giving up four runs on two hits with six strikeouts.

The second game was a disaster for the Bulldogs both offensively and defensively, as they were silenced 16-0. The ‘Dogs did nothing offensively against left-hander Brett Mooneyham who registered his third win for the Cardinal. Mooneyham lowered his season ERA to 1.29, allowing two hits and striking out 13 before giving way to Spenser Linney and Sam Lindquist to finish off whatever life remained in the Bulldog bats that night.

“You’re looking at a 6-foot-5 lefthander who’s liable to go in the first round,” Bulldog head coach Mike Batesole said of Mooneyham. “Throwing 94 [mph] with two other pitches for strikes, that’s no easy task for Division-1 hitters.”

Stanford exploded right out the gate, scoring seven runs in the first two innings. The onslaught began to subside after many of the starters were pulled for reserves.

Bulldog starter Cody Kendall, who was a staple of stability with last year’s team, was only able to pitch just more than an inning. Kendall surrendered seven runs.

Sunday’s game looked like it would be a repeat performance of Saturday, with the Cardinal going up to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Errors plagued the Diamond ‘Dogs all weekend, allowing 3 unearned runs on 6 errors over the three-game series.

“At the end of year if you make 56 errors in 56 games you’re probably in the top 10 in the country defensively,” Batesole said. “We’re a long way from that and that’s our goal.”

The Bulldogs’ Tom Harlan and the rest of his teammates surrendered only one run over the next five innings, the only run coming off a throwing error on a single.

The Bulldogs finally got back on the board in the sixth, ending their 16-inning scoring drought with an RBI double by Aaron Judge that scored Pat Hutcheson from first. Kenny Wise collected the Bulldogs’ second run of the inning with a bases-loaded walk, but the pristine scoring chance ended as the next batter Justin Charles struck out.

The Cardinal offensive merry-go-round continued the next inning as Bulldogs gave up four more runs in the seventh.

“That’s a fantastic ball club,” Batesole said after Sunday’s game. “They’re big, strong, fast and physical and that’s why they’re No. 1 in the country. That’s as good as it gets in college baseball.”

The ‘Dogs will continue their homestand on Thursday in a four-game series with San Francisco.