Minus coach, Bulldogs still sweep Dallas Baptist
Keith Kountz / AMR
Fresno State’s Andy Underwood threw another complete game Saturday — his third straight complete game — as the Bulldogs earned wins of 13-4 and 6-3. |
By Darrell Copeland III
The Collegian
The Fresno State baseball team earned a split of its four-game series with a double-header sweep of Dallas Baptist, Saturday — without the presence of head coach Mike Batesole.
The Bulldogs (30-16) reached the 30-win plateau after defeating the Patriots (29-17) 13-4 and 6-3 consecutively. The Patriots took game one 10-3 Thursday and game two 9-7 Friday.
Before the Bulldogs could exact revenge on the Patriots, the pregame exchange of lineup cards had to take place. It was on his walk towards home plate when Batesole began speaking loudly to umpire Mark Evans — the umpire behind the plate for Friday’s game.
Batesole was ejected on the spot by Evans — who made a strike three call to end Friday’s game, with two runners on base for the Bulldogs and Beau Mills at the plate. Fresno State lost the game by two runs.
“We had a little discussion about the way the game ended yesterday,” Batesole said. “Coaches and umpires disagree.”
What was once a routine procedure to bring the starting lineups to home plate and exchange them with the opposing team’s coach became complicated once again, this time for the second game of the day.
It was at this point where Batesole was informed by Greg Leal — Fresno State’s events and facilities coordinator — that he was suspended for the second game, and would have to hang out once again in the Bulldogs’ clubhouse.
Leal said he was informed of the news by Evans and then asked to relay the news to Batesole, who also is expected to by allowed back in the dugout when the Bulldogs resume Western Athletic Conference play next week.
There was no disagreement with the way the Bulldogs played on the field.
What went wrong for Fresno State in the first two games of the series turned around and went right for the last two. Eddie Romero and Andy Underwood each turned in impressive pitching performances and were supported by a previously sputtering offense.
Romero picked up his ninth win of the year while Underwood pitched his third straight complete game, a 114-pitch effort, despite the warmest day of the home season for the Bulldogs.
“After sitting through the first game through the heat and everything, kind of drained me out,” Underwood said. “First three innings I didn’t know how far I was going to make it.”
Underwood was backed by an offense that is now hitting .299 as a team, and the most consistent part of that average may be No. 9 hitter Erik Wetzel, who picked up four more hits Saturday.
“I think of myself as another leadoff hitter, I just try to get on base so guys coming up can drive me in,” Wetzel said.
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