Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Hawaii Hilo
Baseball Completes Three-Game Sweep Of Hawai'i-Hilo
3/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 4, 2000
FRESNO, Calif. - No. 19 Fresno State completed a three-game sweep of Hawai'i-Hilo Saturday afternoon at Pete Beiden Field with a hard-earned 7-3 victory. The Bulldogs improved to 14-4 overall and 5-1 in the WAC, while the Vulcans dropped to 10-15 and 1-5 in conference play. It is Fresno State's best WAC start since joining the circuit in 1993 and its best conference start since 1992 when the Bulldogs opened the Big West slate with a 5-1 record.
"I thought we played a good ballgame today," Fresno State head coach Bob Bennett said. "We had to battle back again and have been doing that lately. We have been intense but never have panicked.
"I will go back to what I have been saying all year. It is how you finish the season, not how you start. It is nice to start strong because it gives you some room. All that being said, you still have to play well all year. Starting well also allows everyone to feel good and it makes it easier to teach and have the players learn."
Fresno State fell behind 1-0 early after Hawai'i-Hilo plated one run on three hits against Bulldog starter Shawn Hannah (Sr., Clovis, Calif.) in the top of the first inning. The lead changed hands two times in the second and third innings before the Bulldogs took the lead for good with two runs in their half of the fourth. Fresno State added single tallies in both the sixth and seventh to put the game out of reach.
Hannah was outstanding in his sixth start of the season, tossing his first complete game as a Bulldog. He needed only 111 pitches in limiting the Vulcan offense to three runs on five hits. Hannah struck out three and his record improved to 3-2 for the season. It was Hannah's third quality start of the season.
"Shawn was inconsistent and had a hard time finding his rhythm early on," Bennett said. "What saves him is he is a battler. He got stronger and ahead of the hitters late in the game. It was a good performance and it saved us for next week's tournament."
The Bulldog offense again flexed its muscle, pounding out 12 hits off a quartet of Vulcan pitchers. Mike Bowlin (Sr., San Jose, Calif.) paced the attack by going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, a triple and one RBI. Since returning from a strained groin on Feb. 18 - a span of 11 games - Bowlin has hit .514 (18-for-35) with eight doubles, two triples and 12 RBIs. Brandon Gemoll (So., San Jose, Calif.) was 2-for-3 with a run scored and one RBI. It was his team-leading 10th multi-hit game of the season. Tom Creighton (So., Weldon, Calif.) and Ben Fritz (Fr., San Jose, Calif.) each added a pair of hits for Fresno State.
Hawai'i-Hilo starting pitcher Thomas Ford picked up the loss. Ford allowed five runs on seven hits and walked three in his 3.2 innings of work. His record dropped to 3-2 for the season. Three Vulcan relievers combined to allow two runs on five hits over the final 4.1 innings.
The Bulldogs return to action on Monday night when they begin play in the 22nd Annual Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic. Fresno State will host Temple in its first game of the six-day tournament. It will be the first meeting between the two schools. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Beiden Field.
