Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Rice
Rice Defeats Baseball 8-5
5/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 13, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - After taking the first two games of the three-game series the Bulldogs could not seal the deal on senior day. The Diamond Dogs were down 8-1 in the bottom of the eighth when the Dogs' tried to rally by scoring four runs in the inning. Rice backed Kenny Baugh with 14-hits to give the ninth-ranked Owls a 8-5 win over Fresno State Sunday afternoon in a Western Athletic Conference game at Pete Beiden Field.
A.J. Porfirio and Eric Arnold hit home runs to pace the Owls to an 8-1 lead after seven innings. Rice then withstood a late Fresno State rally to avoid being swept by the Bulldogs in the weekend series. Porfirio's home run to left in the first but the Owls on top to stay.
Down 8-1 in the bottom of the eighth the Bulldogs rallied with four runs. Senior Tony Guzman led off the inning with a double. Oscar Lopez grounded out to the pitcher to advance Guzman to third. The following batter Nick Garcia grounded out to the third baseman to score Guzman. With two outs and nobody on-base Josh Labandeira and Brandon Gemoll each singled in to right center to keep the inning rolling fro the Dogs'. The runners on first and third freshman Casey McGehee singled to score Labandeira and Gemoll advanced to third. With runners on second and third and two outs Brad Harper singled to score the Bulldogs final two runs of the game and trimming the Rice lead to 8-5.
Baugh (11-2) pitched into the eighth, allowing only six hits and striking out seven. Bulldog starter Francisco Nieves (7-3) took the loss.
The Owls, now 40-17 on the season and 23-10 in WAC play are only one game away from clinching the Conference title. The win increases Rice's lead in the league race to two games over TCU and eliminates the Bulldogs (37-22/20-13) from title contention. The Bulldogs are now tied with San Jose State for third place, three games back.
Rice's magic number to win its fifth straight WAC championship is now one. The Owls will host TCU in a showdown series beginning Friday at Reckling Park in Houston.
The Bulldogs will travel to San Jose State this weekend for a WAC battle for either second or third in the WAC.
