Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
TCU
Acevedo Leads No. 22 Bulldogs Past TCU
5/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 4, 2000
FRESNO, Calif. - No. 22 Fresno State overcame three TCU home runs to lead off the game and posted an exciting 9-6 come-from-behind victory on Thursday night at Pete Beiden Field. It was the Bulldogs' 15th comeback win of the season. The 'Dogs improved to 35-15 overall and 15-10 in the WAC, while the Horned Frogs dropped to 20-29 overall and 11-13 in conference games.
Levi Groomer, Erick Macha (inside the park) and Mark Hamilton all homered against Fresno State starting pitcher Shawn Hannah (Sr., Clovis, Calif.) to give TCU a 3-0 lead before an out was recorded. The Bulldogs responded with a pair of runs in their half of the first when Anthony Acevedo (Sr., Bakersfield, Calif.) clubbed a two-run double to left field, the 41st two-bagger of his career. The Horned Frogs struck for two more runs in the second when Groomer launched his second long ball of the night and fifth of the season, a two-run shot to left, to extend the lead to 5-2.
However, the 'Dogs chipped away at the margin by plating single runs in the second and third and took the lead for good in the fourth when Acevedo hit the first of his career-high two home runs of the night, a two-run shot, to give Fresno State a 6-5 lead. The Bulldogs added three runs in the fifth, led by Acevedo's second two-run bomb of the night, to extend the cushion to 9-5. The Horned Frogs added a tally in the sixth to pull within three and tried to rally in the ninth, as the first two hitters reached base, but Bulldog closer Hans Smith (Sr., Central Point, Ore.) retired the final three hitters to notch his seventh save of the season and 15th of his four-year career.
"This was a big win for us," Fresno State head coach Bob Bennett said. "I am proud of how the team handled the situation. Ninety percent of the teams in the country would have rolled over after the first couple of innings because they would have thought it was too much to overcome. But these guys didn't."
Mike Hernandez (Fr., Fresno, Calif.) picked up the win in relief for the Bulldogs. Hernandez allowed one run on six hits and struck out five in a career-high 6.1 innings of work. The 6-foot-3 southpaw improved to a perfect 5-0 for the season. Hannah, who picked up his sixth no-decision of the season, allowed five runs on six hits in 1.2 innings pitched.
"Hernandez was terrific under pressure," Bennett said. "He relieved a senior who had surrendered four home runs. He did his job and concentrated on what he could do instead of focusing on what he couldn't do. He's done that pretty well all year."
Fresno State pounded out 14 hits on the night, including six for extra bases. Acevedo led the way and had one of his best nights as a Bulldog. He was 3-for-4 with a career-best six RBIs. Acevedo has registered seven hits in his last two games and has raised his batting average to .322 for the season. The 6-foot-5 left-hander now has a team best nine homers and he moved into an eighth-place tie with Guiseppe Chiaramonte on the all-time doubles list. Nick Garcia (Jr., Lakewood, Calif.) added a season-best four hits and Jason Papi (Sr., Fresno, Calif.) scored three runs for the Bulldogs.
"The hitting was good tonight," Bennett said. "I thought it was a great team effort. Anthony and Nick had great games for us."
Chris Bradshaw got the start for TCU and picked up the loss. Bradshaw allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits and walked three in 3.1 innings of work. His record dropped to 5-6 for the season. Chris Frazier relieved Bradshaw in the fourth and allowed three runs on five hits in 1.1 innings pitched. Chris Osentowski held the Bulldogs scoreless over the final 3.1 innings for the Horned Frogs.
The three-game series continues on Friday night at Beiden Field. Right-hander Tom Graham (Sr., Modesto, Calif.) is scheduled to take his 6-5 record and 5.08 ERA to the mound for the Bulldogs. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m.
