Baseball gets swept at Stanford

Staff Reports
The Collegian

Getting swept is not the ideal way to start what is pegged to be a very promising season.

Fresno State is just hoping a slow start won’t spell disaster for this year’s Diamond ’Dogs.

After the opening game of this weekend’s season-opening series against Stanford was rained out, the Bulldogs were swept by the Cardinal, losing 12-1 on Saturday, and dropping both games of Sunday’s doubleheader, 7-0 and 8-4.

The series started off promising for the Bulldogs as leadoff hitter DeAndre Miller, a sophomore second baseman, rocked a single up the middle against Stanford All-American Mark Romanczuk and Romanczuk walked the next three batters to give Fresno State a 1-0 lead.

But those were all the runs the Bulldogs would score in the game.

John Mayberry, Jr. knocked in two runs for the Cardinal in the third inning, and Stanford scored seven runs off Brandon Miller — who took the loss — and Doug Fister in the fourth inning.

DeAndre Miller ended up going 2 for 4 in the game with a run scored. David Gomez, a senior designated hitter, also went 2 for 4.

In the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader, Fresno State’s Gomez was the bright spot, going 3 for 4 with three doubles as the Bulldogs were shut out.

Stanford starter Jeff Gilmore pitched six innings, allowed no runs and gave up only two hits.

Freshman third baseman Beau Mills got his first hit for the Bulldogs in the game, slapping a single in the second inning.

In Sunday’s second game, Miller again put the Bulldogs on the board early, scoring in the first inning after he walked, advanced on a wild pitch, then scored on a Christian Vitters single. Miller also batted in a run in the second game Sunday.

But Stanford put up four runs in the bottom of the first and limited the Bulldogs to three more runs the rest of the way.

Senior right fielder Will Thomas led the Bulldogs in the series’ final game, going 2 for 2 and scoring a run.

Stanford center fielder Jim Rapoport went 2 for 4 in Sunday’s second game with a double and a home run.

The Bulldogs next series begins Friday at Beiden Field as Fresno State takes on UCLA.