Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Rice
Baseball Mauls Rice 11-5
5/12/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 12, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - Junior first baseman Brandon Gemoll hit two three-run home runs over the right field wall to help the Bulldogs score four runs in the first inning and three in the third, before a season high 3,939 fans at Pete Beiden Field. Junior right-handed hurler Bob Runyon pitched a solid 7 1/3 allowing Rice only eight hits while striking out three batters.
The Bulldogs got out to an early 4 run lead in the top of the first. Oscar Lopez led off the inning with his 16 double of the season and advanced to third on a wild pitch by the Rice starter Jeff Nichols. Nick Garcia stepped to the plate and singled into right field scoring Lopez and giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. With Garcia on second and Josh Labandeira on first after he had singled Brandon Gemoll hit his 11 home run of the season to hand the Dogs' a 4-0 lead after one inning of play.
In the top of the third, Rice scored one run to cut the Fresno State lead to 4-1. A.J. Porfirio singled to score Matt Cunningham for the Owls first run of the game.
Fresno State responded in the bottom of the third with three runs off Gemoll's second home run of the evening. Garcia led off the inning with a singled and Labandeira followed with a single to set Gemoll up for his 12th home run of the season increasing the Bulldogs' lead to 7-1 at the end of three innings.
The Diamond Dogs' continued their scoring rampage in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Tony Guzman walked and the following batter fellow senior Oscar Lopez drilled a triple into the left center field wall scoring Guzman adding to the Dogs lead. Lopez's triple was his second of the season. The next batter Garcia singled into left scoring Lopez and handing Fresno State a 9-1 lead.
The Owls added one run in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eight innings, but those four runs would not be enough this evening. In the fifth, Phillip Ghutzman led off with a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly into right by Cunningham trimming the Bulldogs lead to 9-2. In the sixth, Matt Lorsbach singled to score Hunter Brown cutting the Fresno state lead to 10-3. The following inning Porfirio doubled to score Austin Davis for an 11-4 Dogs' lead. The Owls added their final run of the game in the top of the eighth when Jesse Roman hit a solo home run over the right field wall cutting the Bulldogs lead to 11-5.
The Dogs' added one run in the fifth and one in the sixth to secure their second win of their three-game series with conference leader Rice. Junior catcher Brad Harper hit a lead off single in to left field and scored on what should have been a double by Ben Fritz but he tied to string out for a triple and was punched out a third for the Bulldogs first our of the inning. Gemoll scored his third run of the game in the bottom of the sixth when Scott Beshears stepped to the plate to pinch hit for Tobey Riday-White and he singled into right field scoring Gemoll and handing the Bulldogs a 11-5 win over Rice.
Fresno State improves its record to 37-21 overall and 20-12 in the WAC, while Rice falls to 39-17 overall and 22-10 in the WAC. The Diamond Dogs' are trailing the Owls by only two games heading into tomorrow afternoons final game of the three-game series
The Bulldogs and the Owls are back in action tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. in the friendly confines of Pete Beiden Field. Prior to Sunday's game Fresno State will honor eight seniors for their outstanding baseball careers as a Bulldog. The list includes: Dan Young, Oscar Lopez, Josh Labandeira, Jeff Prieto, Nick Garcia, Ozzie Gonzalez, Tony Guzman and Simon Tafoya.
