Bulldogs slide into a win

The Bulldogs come back to win 8-2 after trailing 2-0 in the first inning

By Darrell Copeland

Two consecutive losses is too much.

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.

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.

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.

“ It was time for me to come out,” Cooper said. “I was at my pitch count.”

In his first start for the Bulldogs, Cooper had some help from his defense, giving up two runs in four and two-thirds innings.

“ Dude, the defense was making those stellar plays out there,” Cooper said. “That saved me.”

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.

“ We had some clutch two strike RBIs today,” coach Mike Batesole said. “Championship teams do that.”

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.

Eight different Bulldogs, all with one run apiece, scored in the ballgame.

Cal Poly wasn’t so good in the field, amassing a total of five errors for the game, including three in the seventh inning.

“ From our end, we did try to keep the pressure on them,” Batesole said.

Pressure is something the Bulldogs lacked in their previous three games. Against Stanford, the Bulldogs held a lead ea

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.”

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.

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.