Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
San Jose St
No. 21 Baseball Salvages Series Finale At San Jose State
5/21/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 21, 2000
SAN JOSE, Calif. - No. 21 Fresno State jumped to a 7-0 lead and held off San Jose State for an 8-5 victory on Sunday afternoon at Municipal Stadium. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 40-19 overall record and a 18-12 mark in the WAC. It is the 'Dogs first 40-win campaign since 1997 and head coach Bob Bennett's 13th in 32 seasons at Fresno State. The Spartans finished at 36-20 overall and in a first-place tie with Rice in the conference standings at 19-11.
The Bulldogs scored a run in the first and exploded for six more in the fourth to jump out to a 7-0 lead. However, San Jose State responded with two runs in its half of the fourth and single runs in both the fifth and seventh to cut the lead to 7-4. Nick Garcia (Jr., Lakewood, Calif.) gave the 'Dogs an insurance run in the ninth with his second home run of the season. The Spartans added a run in the final frame on John Fagan's solo homer but could not draw any closer.
"It was a big win because we played poorly the first two games," Bennett said. "It is nice to go out on a good note to end the season. It also is big because we got our 40th victory of the season. I think it will be hard for the committee to leave a team with 40 wins out of the tournament."
Eight of the nine starters on offense registered at least one safety in the 12-hit attack. Garcia led the way, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, the ninth-inning homer and four RBIs. He also extended his hitting streak to seven games. Anthony Acevedo (Sr., Bakersfield, Calif.) went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and one RBI. Acevedo now has 44 career doubles, the fifth-most in school history and he is the only two-year player in the Top 5. Simon Tafoya (Jr., Pittsburg, Calif.) clubbed his second home run of the year, a two-run shot in the fourth, and Mike Bowlin (Sr., San Jose, Calif.) added two hits for the Bulldogs.
Beau Hintz (So., Stockton, Calif.) picked up the win in relief. The 6-foot-5 southpaw allowed a pair of runs on five hits and struck out four in three innings pitched. Hintz improved to 5-3 for the season. Hans Smith (Sr., Central Point, Ore.) allowed a run over the final 2.1 innings to pick up his ninth save of the season. It also was the 17th of his four-year career and he moved into sole possession of first place on Fresno State's all-time list. Zach Minor (So., Walnut Creek, Calif.) started for the Bulldogs and allowed two runs on three hits, walked six and struck out five in 3.1 innings of work.
Tim Adinolfi started for San Jose State and picked up the loss. Adinolfi allowed four runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings pitched. His record dropped to 7-3 for the season. Steve Murphy allowed three runs and did not retire a hitter in relief of Adinolfi. Jared Sandler allowed Garcia's ninth-inning long ball and struck three over the final 5.2 innings.
"It's a guessing game," Bennett said about his team's chances of making the tournament. "I would like to think we are a shoo-in with 40 victories, but like I have said in the past, it is all in the committee's hands and we have no control over it."
Fresno State now must await word from the NCAA on if it will be invited to this year's 64-team tournament. The selection show is scheduled for noon (PDT) Monday and can be viewed on ESPN at the World Sports Cafe. The Bulldogs are seeking their first invite since the 1997 season.
