When head coach Mike Batesole arrived in 2003, he followed in the footsteps of the two winningest baseball coaches in Fresno State history — Pete Beiden and Bob Bennett.

On Saturday, 19 seasons after he first set foot in Fresno, Batesole joined Beiden (601) and Bennett (1,302) with a historic milestone ”” 600 wins in a Bulldog uniform. That makes Fresno State the first baseball program ever to have three consecutive head coaches win 600 games at the same school.

Fresno State erased an early 2-0 deficit against Air Force with a fifth inning grand slam by Ryan Higgins, powering its way to an 8-3 victory in game one of the doubleheader. Batesole got win No. 601 less than three hours after No. 600, as Fresno State defeated Air Force 7-1 in the second game of the doubleheader.

Batesole reflected on his achievement by deflecting praise onto the baseball program.

“That’s 600 more for Fresno State baseball, that’s what it is,” Batesole said. “Those aren’t mine, those are ours. That’s Fresno State baseball stacking up 600 more.”

Batesole had to wait two weeks between wins No. 599 and 600. The Bulldogs entered Saturday on a six-game losing streak, surrendering 10.8 runs per game during that stretch.

“We’re right about where we would be if we had a fall,” Batesole said. “We usually get about 20 or 21 scrimmages in the fall… it’s starting to feel like the fall is over. We’re kind of getting everything where we want it to be now. I wish today was Opening Day. It’s not, but we can still do this.”

The Bulldogs’ first conference doubleheader sweep of the season moved Fresno State (9-14, 6-8 MW) into a third-place tie with Air Force (12-11, 6-8 MW).

In the first game, Fresno State ace Jamison Hill pitched a clean first two innings, striking out four along the way.

Air Force starter John Byrnes matched Hill, retiring Fresno State’s first six batters in order.

The first three Air Force batters of the third inning got a hit,  scoring the Falcons’ first run. Second baseman Christian Gambale laced a leadoff double down the left field line, followed by Alexander Pup’s single into left to put runners on the corners with no outs.

Center fielder Cayden Zimmerman lined an RBI single into center field.  Hill limited the scoring to that, striking out back-to-back Falcons to end the threat.

The Bulldogs threatened to respond in the bottom of the fourth, when EJ Andrews Jr. singled and Ryan Higgins doubled to lead off. Those hits put two runners in scoring position with no outs.

But Fresno State did not cash in on the opportunity. Byrnes struck out the next three Bulldog batters to keep a 1-0 lead.

Air Force extended its lead to 2-0 in the top of the fifth. Pup hit a triple that barely missed the diving glove of left fielder Vinny Bologna. Zimmerman drove in Pup with his second RBI single of the game. 

Fresno State responded in the bottom of the fifth.

Zach Morgan hit a one-out single, and Jeff Jamison reached on a two-out error. Andrews Jr. checked his swing on a full count pitch and walked to load the bases.

Higgins fell behind in the count, 1-2, before lifting a ball into left field that kept on carrying. 

It left the yard. Higgins launched the first grand slam of his Bulldog career to give the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead after the fifth inning.

Hill threw a quick top of the sixth inning, only needing four pitches to retire the Falcons. That ended his afternoon as the senior tossed six innings of two-run ball while striking out seven.

“Hill came out and didn’t have the same stuff he had last week [against UNLV], but you look up and it’s the sixth inning already and he’s cruising with no walks,” Batesole said. “The kid has just learned how to pitch. His stuff isn’t the best Friday night stuff in America, but he knows how to get Division-I hitters out.”

Fresno State tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth on a Morgan sacrifice fly to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 5-2.

Ixan Henderson entered the game in the top of the seventh and gave up back-to-back leadoff singles to Air Force. He loaded the bases by walking Pup, before striking out Zimmerman for the first out. 

An Air Force run came across on an RBI fielder’s choice hit by Blake Covin, but that’s all the Falcons got out of their scoring opportunity.

The Bulldogs put the game away in the bottom of the seventh when Andrew Kachel launched a three-run home run beyond the right-center field bullpen. It was the sophomore’s team-leading sixth longball of the season. 

Henderson pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth inning and was credited with a save for the first game.

In the second game, Fresno State jumped on Air Force in the third inning. Andrews Jr. hit a leadoff single and Higgins was hit by a pitch. One batter later, Bologna struck out for what should’ve been the second out.

But Air Force starter Jason Shuger threw strike three past his catcher for a wild pitch, allowing Bologna to reach first base and load the bases.

After Presno struck out, Dylan Johnson singled up the middle for a two-out, two-run single.

Pitcher CJ Dornak entered the game in relief for Shuger and promptly walked in two more runs. Andrews Jr. hit his second single of the inning to drive in one more run, giving Fresno State a 5-0 lead through three innings.

The Bulldogs added a run in the fifth and sixth inning each. Matt Ottino laid down an RBI safety squeeze in the fifth, and Bologna hit an RBI double in the sixth.

Fresno State starter Jake Dixon continued Fresno State’s strong pitching on Saturday. The sophomore southpaw pitched eight shutout innings, allowing three hits and four walks while striking out seven. It was the longest start of Dixon’s career.

“Dixon must’ve been paying attention [to Hill], because he came out and he did the same thing,” Batesole said. 

Fresno State almost shut out the Falcons, a feat no other team had done yet in 2021. But freshman reliever Treven Crowley allowed a home run to Air Force designated hitter Braydon Altorfer, the Falcons’ only run of the game.

On Sunday, Fresno State has a chance to sweep the Falcons and move Batesole ahead of Beiden on the all-time Fresno State career wins list. The Bulldogs and Falcons play their series finale at 1:35 p.m.