Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
San Jose St
No. 21 Baseball's Ninth-Inning Rally Falls Short
5/19/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 19, 2000
SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose State held on to defeat No. 21 Fresno State by a score of 4-2 on Friday night at Municipal Stadium. The Bulldogs tried to rally for their 18th come-from-behind victory in the ninth inning, but Josh Labandeira (Jr., Porterville, Calif.) struck out with the bases loaded to end the game. The 'Dogs dropped to 39-18 overall and 17-11 in the WAC with the loss, while the Spartans improved to 35-19 overall and moved into first place in the conference race at 18-10.
San Jose State touched Bulldog starting pitcher Shawn Hannah (Sr., Clovis, Calif.) for three runs on four hits in the first and added a tally in the sixth to jump to a 4-0 lead. Fresno State scored a run in the seventh and another in the final frame to end the scoring.
Hannah lost his first decision since Feb. 29 and first starting assignment since Jan. 29. He allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out four in 6.1 innings pitched. His record dropped to 7-3 for the season. Hans Smith (Sr., Central Point, Ore.) shut out the Spartans over the final 1.2 innings for the Bulldogs.
Brad Harper (So., Madera, Calif.) paced Fresno State's nine-hit attack by going 2-for-4. Harper extended his hitting streak to six games, tying a career high. Brandon Gemoll (So., San Jose, Calif.) added a pair of hits for his team-leading 29th multi-hit game of the season.
Key turned in an outstanding performance and improved to 11-2 for the season. He allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits and struck out six in 8.1 innings of work. Tim Adinolfi recorded the game's final two outs and recorded his sixth save of the year.
The series continues on Saturday afternoon at Municipal Stadium. Right-hander Tom Graham (Sr., Modesto, Calif.) is scheduled to make his 18th start of the season for the Bulldogs. Graham is 7-5 with a 4.74 ERA this year. San Jose State will counter with righty Joey Baker (6-7, 3.91 ERA). First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. and the game can be heard on KMJ-580 AM.
