Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Stanford
Diamond Men Lose Regional Opener To Stanford
5/26/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 26, 2000
STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford rode the arm of All-America starting pitcher Jason Young to a 5-1 victory against Fresno State on Friday night in Game 1 of the Stanford Regional. The Bulldogs, who lost their first regional opener since 1995, dropped to 40-20 with the loss, while the Cardinal improved to 43-13.
Stanford took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on Craig Thompson's two-out RBI double right center. Fresno State responded with a run in the fifth on Mike Bowlin's (Sr., San Jose, Calif.) RBI double to knot the game at one. The Cardinal plated one in their half of the fifth to take the lead for good and added two insurance runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to complete the scoring.
Young tossed a complete game five-hitter to improve to a perfect 8-0 for the season. The 6-foot-5 right-hander did not walk a batter and struck out nine in the 124-pitch performance. It was Young's 14th consecutive winning decision.
"They are a very good ballclub with experience," head coach Bob Bennett said. "Young always picks it up a notch when he needs to and that is a sign of a good pitcher."
Shawn Hannah (Sr., Clovis, Calif.) started for the Bulldogs and picked up the loss. Hannah allowed four runs on 10 hits and struck out two in 6.1 innings of work. His record dropped to 7-4 for the season. Hans Smith (Sr., Central Point, Ore.) allowed a run on three hits and struck out one over the final 1.2 innings for the 'Dogs.
Nick Garcia (Jr., Lakewood, Calif.) extended his hitting streak to a career-high-tying eight games with a leadoff single in the fifth. It is Garcia's third eight-game streak of the season and the fourth of his three-year career. Tom Creighton (So., Weldon, Calif.) was 1-for-4 with a leadoff triple in the fourth.
Fresno State will face Nevada in an elimination game in Saturday's first game. Right-hander Tom Graham (Sr., Modesto, Calif.) is scheduled to make his 19th start of the season for the Bulldogs. Graham is 7-6 with a 4.86 ERA this year. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Sunken Diamond.
Fresno State Postgame Notes
* The Bulldogs dropped to 50-57 (.467) all-time in NCAA Tournament games.
* Stanford improved to 6-3 against Fresno State in postseason play.
* The 'Dogs are now 5-7 in regional games played at Stanford.
* Tonight's loss was the Bulldogs' first in a regional opener since May 25, 1995, a 9-5 setback against Pepperdine.
* Fresno State's record fell to 6-3 in games decided by four runs with the loss. The Bulldogs are 25-10 in games decided by four runs or less this season.
* Nick Garcia (Jr., Lakewood, Calif.) extended his hitting streak to a career-high-tying eight games. It is his third eight-game streak of the season and fourth of his three-year career.
* Shawn Hannah (Sr., Clovis, Calif.) lost for only the second time in a starting role since Jan. 29. Two of his three losses as a starter have come against the Cardinal this season.
* Fresno State and Nevada will meet for the first time since April 29, 1998, in Saturday's elimination game. It will be third all-time meeting between the two schools in postseason play. The Bulldogs, who won the previous two postseason meetings in 1981, lead the all-time series by a count of 46-23.
* Right-hander Tom Graham (Sr., Modesto, Calif.) will start Saturday's game for the Bulldogs. Graham will bring a 7-6 record and 4.86 ERA into his team-leading 19th start of the season.
