The Fresno State baseball team silenced the UNLV Rebels with a 4-0 victory Sunday to finish the sweep at Beiden Field.
Following their one-hit outing in Saturday night’s matchup, the Bulldogs punished the Rebels with 10 hits Sunday afternoon.
“Maybe it’s because it’s day time,” Fresno State catcher Taylor Ward said. “It’s easier to see during the day. At night, it gets hard with off-speed pitches. Maybe the daytime helped this time around.”
Ward’s fifth home run of the year sneaked over the left field fence in the fourth inning to give Fresno State a 1-0 lead.
First baseman Joe Prior added to the ‘Dogs’ lead with a single in the bottom of the sixth.
Fresno State senior Garrett Mundell started on the mound and kept the Rebels in check, allowing three hits in six innings of work.
With Casey Rodriguez on the mound for the Bulldogs in the top of the seventh, the Rebels put runners on second and third, but still remained scoreless.
Jake Shull came out of the bullpen for the Bulldogs in the eighth, and the Rebels had another chance to score with runners on second and third. But the Bulldogs ended that opportunity with a double play, and the Rebels ran out of chances.
Three errors by the Rebels allowed two scores for the Bulldogs in the bottom of the eighth and the sweep was complete.
Pitcher Kenny Oakley started for the Rebels and allowed five hits while striking out two batters in five innings.
The Bulldogs improved their overall record to 6-5 and their Mountain West record to 3-3.
The three-game winning streak is the latest streak for the ‘Dogs, who started the season with three straight wins then a five-game skid before the sweep against UNLV.
The Bulldogs will host Sacramento State on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m.
“We have to keep throwing strikes and play good defense,” Ward said. “I think our offense will be fine. It’s just a learning process. We have to consistently do our thing and play our game.”
