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<td width="343" valign="bottom"><p class="date"><!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="date" --><a href="default.html">02/11/04• Vol.
128, No. 9</a><!-- InstanceEndEditable --></p></td>
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<p><a href="Bulldogs.jsp">Bulldogs slide into a win</a></p>
<p><a href="status.jsp">Status of Woods and Major unchanged</a></p>
<p><a href="dog.jsp">'Dog BItes</a></p>
<p><a href="cmon.jsp">C'mon, take the money</a></p>
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<h1>Bulldogs slide into a win</h1>
<p><strong><font size="3">The Bulldogs come back to win 8-2 after trailing 2-0 in the first inning</font></strong></p>
<p><strong>By Darrell Copeland</strong></p>
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<p align="justify">Freshman Christian Vitters slides into third
base on a Kyle Wilson single during Fresno State's 8-2 win over
Cal Poly Tuesday night. The Bulldogs improve to 2-2 on the season
with the victory.</p>
<p class="byline">-Photo by Cary Edmondson</p>
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<p>Two consecutive losses is too much.</p>
<p> After dropping two straight games to sixth-ranked Stanford, Fresno
State decided enough was enough. Not only that, but the Bulldogs also
let
loose their highest-scoring performance of the season, scoring eight
runs to Cal Poly’s two.</p>
<p> The Bulldogs (2-2), fell behind early, allowing Cal Poly (7-3-1) to
score two runs in the top of the first inning, but ended the rally
by throwing
out a Mustang runner, preceding the inning-ending strikeout by Bulldog
starting pitcher Michael Cooper.</p>
<p> But is wasn’t all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows for Cooper.
It took a first inning visit from pitching coach Tim Montez to calm Cooper
down. By the second inning, Fresno State had the bullpen heating up,
but it wouldn’t come into play until the fifth inning, when Cooper
was working through his fourth straight scoreless inning, finished off
by left-hander Gil Infante. </p>
<p> “
It was time for me to come out,” Cooper said. “I was at my
pitch count.”</p>
<p> In his first start for the Bulldogs, Cooper had some help from his
defense, giving up two runs in four and two-thirds innings.</p>
<p> “
Dude, the defense was making those stellar plays out there,” Cooper
said. “That saved me.”</p>
<p> Offensively, the Bulldogs answered back with two runs in the second
inning, knocking out Mustangs pitcher Kevin Waldron out of the game,
exiting
to the tune of “Ooh Child,” a song claiming things are going
to get easier.</p>
<p> “
We had some clutch two strike RBIs today,” coach Mike Batesole
said. “Championship teams do that.” </p>
<p> Things did get easier—for the Bulldogs—who scored two more
runs in the third inning, three more in the fourth and one more in the
seventh.</p>
<p> Eight different Bulldogs, all with one run apiece, scored in the ballgame.</p>
<p> Cal Poly wasn’t so good in the field, amassing a total of five
errors for the game, including three in the seventh inning.</p>
<p> “
From our end, we did try to keep the pressure on them,” Batesole
said.</p>
<p> Pressure is something the Bulldogs lacked in their previous three games.
Against Stanford, the Bulldogs held a lead ea</p>
<p> rly in each game, but were
unable to build on that momentum. Tuesday night, momentum was plentiful.“
We knew we had to answer back,” Cooper said. “We came out
pretty aggressive.”</p>
<p> The Bulldogs will try and maintain that momentum as they make their
first road trip of the season, traveling to southern California to face
UCLA
for a three-game series.</p>
<p> The only confirmed starter for this weekend’s rotation is David
Griffin on Friday night. Griffin was named WAC pitcher of the week after
his two hit, no run outing against Stanford.</p>
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