Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Rice
Bulldogs Come From Behind To Win 11th Consecutive Game
2/26/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 26, 2000
HOUSTON - Fresno State rallied for the third consecutive game and defeated Rice 9-5 Saturday afternoon at Reckling Park. The Bulldogs (11-2, 2-0) won their 11th consecutive game and it is the longest winning streak since April 20-May 23, 1996, when Fresno State won 11 games in a row. The win also gave head coach Bob Bennett his 1,200th career victory, all at Fresno State.
"The game was terrific," Bennett said. "I heard some people say they thought we came out flat. That wasn't the case at all. This team has been through so much turmoil the past couple of seasons, so they don't let things like rain or mud bother them. Right now, it isn't one or two guys doing things for us. It is a team effort and that is the best compliment you can give them."
Rice jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with two runs in the first and one in the fourth. The Bulldogs pulled within one run on Josh Labandeira's (Jr., Porterville, Calif.) two-run home run to left field in the fifth, his first of the season, but the Owls responded with a tally in their half of the inning. Rice added another run in the sixth after the Bulldogs plated a run in the top of the inning. It would be all Fresno State after that.
The Bulldogs again pulled within a run in the seventh on an Anthony Acevedo (Sr., Bakersfield, Calif.) RBI single. Fresno State tied the game in the eighth on an error and took the lead for good one batter later on Brad Harper's (So., Madera, Calif.) two-run home run to left field, his first of the season. The Bulldogs added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth on Acevedo's second homer of the year and Mike Bowlin's (Sr., San Jose, Calif.) RBI single.
"The team hung in there and showed something today. We were down by three runs and really battled back. There were several key guys today. Fritz came in and gave us enough innings to get Hans into the game and his pick-off was big. We also got some keys hits from Labandeira and Gemoll. Acevedo's home run added to our lead and Harper came through as well. I also thought Beshears did a great job defensively in place of Creighton."
Hans Smith (Sr., Central Point, Ore.) picked up his second win of the series in relief. Smith (3-0) shut out the Owls on two hits and struck out one. Shawn Hannah (Sr., Clovis, Calif.) started and allowed three runs on three hits and struck out two in his 3.1 innings of work.
Fresno State rapped out 11 hits on the afternoon, including four home runs. Five Bulldogs had two hits in the come-from-behind victory - Acevedo, Bowlin, Nick Garcia (Jr., Lakewood, Calif.), Brandon Gemoll (So., San Jose, Calif.) and Labandeira. Labandeira was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and he extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
Bennett is now one of only 10 NCAA Division I head coaches and the second this season to win at least 1,200 career games. Texas Tech head coach Larry Hays won his 1,200th career game on Feb. 2 against West Texas A&M.
"I am very grateful for the opportunity to accomplish this feat," Bennett said. "I also am grateful for the all the great players and coaches I have been associated with over the years. I am very proud of the fact this has all been done at Fresno State. I also am proud of the way the kids have operated. They are the ones who have won the games.
"Every one of these moments give me an opportunity to reflect on each one through 1,200. It is a very nice moment and I am glad the these players had the chance to be a part of it."
The three-game series concludes Sunday afternoon at 11 a.m. (PST) at Reckling Park. Fresno State will send left-hander Beau Hintz (So., Stockton, Calif.) to the mound. Hintz, who has complete-game victories in each of his two starts this season, brings a 2-0 record and a 0.50 ERA into the contest. Rice will counter with right-hander Kenny Baugh. Baugh is 2-0 with a 1.19 ERA. The game can be heard in the Valley on KMJ 580-AM. The pregame show starts at 10:45 a.m. (PST).
