Baseball takes 1 of 3 against Stanford

Fresno State beats Stanford Friday before dropping the last two straight

By Zack Walton

It’s not how you start, but how you finish—and the Bulldogs couldn’t finish Stanford.

Fresno State blew early leads in the final two games against No. 6 Stanford and dropped the weekend series after winning Friday night’s season opener 3-1 at Beiden Field.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 1-0 lead in Saturday’s game, only to lose 13-4 while giving up five Stanford home runs, including two by sophomore John Mayberry Jr.

Fresno State experienced the same fate in the series finale, after pushing three runs across the plate in the first inning, in a 10-3 loss in front of an announced crowd of 3,353.

Stanford’s Donny Lucy started the Cardinal’s rally when he led off the third inning with a line-drive double down the left field line. Adam Sorgi followed with a single and a walk to lead-off man Sam Fuld loaded the bases.

Cardinal third baseman Jonny Ash singled home Stanford’s first run and then the flood-gates opened. Jed Lowrie hit a ground ball to Fresno State first baseman Kyle Wilson, who threw into the runner sliding at second base and the ball bounced into left field.

The throwing error allowed Fuld to score and the following hitter, Danny Putnam, who went 3 for 5, had a run scoring single. A Bulldogs’ wild-pitch brought another run across to make it 5-3 Stanford.

Senior second baseman Ryan Haag said the five-run third inning, in which Stanford sent 10 men to the plate, deflated the Bulldogs.

“ We have a young team and we showed sparks of greatness but we needed to keep it going,” said Haag, who went 5 for 13 in the series and had the go-ahead single in the opener. “Once we got down, there wasn’t a sense of urgency.”

Stanford would add another three runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh, while pounding out 16 hits.

Overall, the Cardinals had 24 runs on 32 hits against the Bulldogs—the weekend after sweeping No. 4 Cal State Fullerton by scoring 28 runs on 30 hits.

The Bulldogs batted around in the first inning—having the first five hitters reach base safely—and knocked starter Mark Jecmen out before he could record an out.

Right-hander David O’Hagan came in and shut down Fresno State, throwing six shutout innings and striking out eight while earning the victory.

Fresno State used six pitchers in the loss on Sunday and tied a school record with five double plays, including four in the first five innings.

Starter Matt Scott, who suffered the loss, was one of two juniors coach Mike Batesole used.

Batesole put two sophomores and two freshmen on the mound in the series finale and said he would continue using his young pitchers.

“ The kids have earned a chance and we’ll keep running them out there,” Batesole said.

Fresno State was able to get on the board first in all three games of the series, but stuggled to keep leads against Stanford.

“ We took a team—that at the end of the season will be one of the best in the nation—and handled them on Friday,” Batesole said. “And we got the lead [in the final two games] we just didn’t hold it.”

Fresno State hosts Cal Poly on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Beiden Field.