Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
California
No. 21 Baseball Routs California
5/9/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 9, 2000
BERKELEY, Calif. - No. 21 Fresno State jumped to a 7-0 lead after three innings and cruised to an 11-2 victory against California on Tuesday afternoon at Evans Diamond. The Bulldogs won their fifth consecutive game and improved to 38-15 overall, while the Golden Bears finished the 2000 season with a 25-28 record.
Fresno State plated two runs in the second inning on Mike Bowlin's (Sr., San Jose, Calif.) two-run home run, his third of the season. The 'Dogs added five runs in the fifth and plated two in both the fifth and sixth for a commanding 11-0 lead. Cal scored single tallies in the sixth and seventh to complete the scoring.
Bulldog starting pitcher Nick Moran (So., Elk Grove, Calif.) was outstanding in his sixth start of the season. The 6-foot-5 right-hander carried a shutout into the sixth inning and allowed a pair of runs on eight hits in 8.1 innings of work. Moran struck out eight and improved to 3-2 for the season. J.J. Durmanich (Jr., Merced, Calif.) came out of the bullpen in relief of Moran and induced Rob Meyer into a game-ending double play.
"Moran had an outstanding outing today," Fresno State head coach Bob Bennett said. "It was one of the best performances of his career."
The Bulldogs pounded out 16 hits in the rout and eight of the nine starters on offense had at least one hit. Bowlin led the way by going 3-for-4 with the second-inning home run and three RBIs. He also extended his hitting streak to six games. Nick Garcia (Jr., Lakewood, Calif.) and Tony Guzman (Jr., Clovis, Calif.) each added three hits for the 'Dogs. Jason Papi (Sr., Fresno, Calif.) was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and Brad Harper (So., Madera, Calif.) went 2-for-5 with an RBI.
"I was very pleased with the offense," Bennett said. "We had good hitting throughout the lineup. Bowlin, Guzman and Garcia each had multiple-hit games along with Harper and Papi."
Jason Ball started for Golden Bears and picked up the loss. Ball allowed seven runs (five earned) on six hits in 2.1 innings pitched. His record dropped to 0-1 for the season. Four Cal relievers combined to allow four runs on 10 hits over the final 6.2 innings.
"A mid-week win like this gives us good momentum for this weekend's series," Bennett said.
Fresno State returns to action on Friday, May 12, when it travels to No. 10 Nebraska for the beginning of a three-game series. Right-hander Shawn Hannah (Sr., Clovis, Calif.) is scheduled to make his 15th start of the year for the Bulldogs. Hannah is 7-2 with a 3.32 ERA this season. The Cornhuskers are slated to counter with Shane Komine (9-3, 1.66 ERA). Komine leads the nation with 131 strikeouts. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 (PDT) at Buck Beltzer Stadium.
