Fresno State Athletics
Baseball Team Rallies to Beat Air Force 7-6
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 12, 1999
Fresno, Calif. - Air Force kept the Bulldog bats in check for eight innings, but Fresno State bats exploded in the ninth inning as the Bulldogs rallied from four runs down to beat the Falcons, 7-6.
The victory ups the Bulldogs' record to 20-25 overall and 4-11 in the Western Athletic Conference. Fresno State will be back in action tomorrow as it travels to San Luis Obispo to take on Cal Poly at 3 p.m.
The Falcons jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning as Fresno State starter Nick Moran walked two of the first four batter he faced in the first and he gave up bases loaded single. Moran was pulled in the second in favor of reliever Beau Hintz who would give up four runs in 5.2 innings of work.
Fresno State got its first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning. Third baseman Nick Garcia, who led the Bulldogs with three hits, doubled to lead off the inning. Following groundouts by catcher Brad Harper and shortstop Jason Fanconi, Garcia scored the Bulldogs first run of the game on a double to rightfield by senior Joe Gerber.
After the Falcons increased it's lead to 6-1, the Fresno State came back with another run in the sixth. Leftfielder Anthony Acevedo lead off the inning by flying out to centerfield, then first baseman Brandon Gemoll followed that with single. The next batter, designated hitter Jeff Prieto, popped up to third baseman, setting up centerfielder Tony Guzman who singled to center, moving Gemoll to second. Garcia picked up his loan RBI of the game during the next at bat as he singled home Gemoll from second.
In the top of the eighth, head coach Bob Bennett brought in left-hander Hans Smith to relieve Hintz. The junior responded by pitching two innings of one-hit baseball and set the Bulldogs up for their ninth inning comeback.
Dan Duke, who came in for Harper in the fifth, started the inning off with a single. Air Force reliever Matt Kaercher then walked shortstop Oscar Lopez, who also came on in the fifth, and Gerber to load the bases. With a 1-1 count, Kaercher hit third baseman Max Drake, bringing home Duke.
The biggest blow of the game came from the next batter Acevedo who cleared the bases with a doubled to left center and moved up to third when the relay throw went home. The Falcons then intentially walked Gemoll and Prieto to load the bases. With the sacks full of Bulldogs Guzman brought home Acevedo with the winning run as he lined Tommy Cisar's 3-1 pitch to left field.
