It seems like after 32 games, the Bulldogs are finally starting to figure things out.
This weekend looked to be a daunting task for Fresno State, playing five games in three days against Air Force.
However, it helped that the Falcons are the only team in the Mountain West Conference with a worse record than the Bulldogs.
The doubleheaders were scheduled after a series between the two teams in Fort Collins, Colo. was canceled due to a snowstorm.
The Bulldogs played back-to-back doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday and took all four games, winning 9-4, 8-5, 7-0 and 8-6. The NCAA regulation length for the the first game of a double header is seven innings.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs looked to take the fifth and final game of this series for the sweep, and sweep they did — their first of the season.
Pitcher Jordan Brink would be the one to lead Fresno State to its win over the Falcons. The sophomore pitched his first complete game of the season and threw a career-high 12 strikeouts to help the Bulldogs walk away with a 5-3 victory.
Even with the strikeouts piling up, Brink said the numbers never weighed on him.
“I wasn’t really paying attention to that,” Brink said. “I was just making sure to keep the ball down and hit the spots. Good things happen when you hit your spots, so I just kept sticking with that.”
Brink has established himself as one of the rocks of this young pitching staff, leading the team in ERA (2.58) and strikeouts (41). Fresno State coach Mike Batesole said he could not remember the team ever having a pitcher with power like Brink’s before.
“It’s been some time,” Batesole said. “When (Matt) Garza was here, he certainly wasn’t that guy, and (Tanner) Scheppers wasn’t that guy most days, but to have somebody out there pumping 96, 98 (miles per hour). Even in the last couple of innings, he’s pumping 93 a few times and to pound the zone the way he did.”
Batesole said it is more than just Brink’s arm that sets him apart. It is also his on-field intelligence. His first time through the Falcons lineup he relied on his fastball, and then the next time through he showed them his breaking ball.
“I thought that was really smart that way he switched gears on them and then at the end he came back and he had either one to go to and he went to both of them,” Batesole said.
It was clear from his reactions on the mound that Brink was happy to get this win, but he was quick to credit his teammates as well for the successful weekend.
“I mean a lot of great plays behind us,” Brink said. “You had Aaron Judge with a diving catch, Trent (Garrison) saving that ball from being a double. It was an emotional time, good to get the sweep with great plays and a great offensive day.”
This weekend continued a pattern for the Bulldogs of playing better once the weather started to warm up.
“Certainly over the last six or seven years, as it’s warmed up we’ve played better and good for these kids,” Batesole said. “We’ve got a system in place. It’s not always simple, and this weekend they seemed like they figured out quite a few things.”
“They just played with more confidence and much betterbody language the way they went about their business. They were thinking ahead when they were supposed to think ahead and a lot of clutch, tough stuff going on which hasn’t been going on around here for quite a few weeks.”
The Bulldogs are now on a five-game winning streak thanks to this series. It is their longest of the year so far ”” the mark before this was two games.
This is also only the second series the Bulldogs have won all season, with the last one coming against USC over the first three days of March.
“It’s exactly what we needed,” Batesole said.
“I can’t remember, since I’ve been here, having a five-game sweep. I know we’ve had some fours in the WAC, when we used to play four, but getting three from somebody is very, very difficult.
“These are Division 1 baseball games. They’re tough to win. You get five in three days, you’re doing a lot of things right.”
Fresno State does not get long to enjoy this sweep. The next game for the Bulldogs (13-24, 8-10 MWC) is on Tuesday at CSU Bakersfield (27-14) against a team that has already beat them twice this year, including last Wednesday.
They then move farther south, for a three-game series in San Diego against Tony Gwynn and the San Diego State Aztecs (19-20, 10-9 MWC).