Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Louisiana Tech
Battery Takes Charge In 3-1 Win Over Louisiana Tech
5/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 12, 2007
Fresno, Calif. - A gutsy performance from pitcher Justin Wilson and clutch hitting from catcher Danny Grubb helped the Bulldogs get even in the series with La Tech in a 3-1 win Saturday. The win allowed the Bulldogs to move one game closer to a second straight regular-season WAC championship, and could close out a share of the title with a win tomorrow and a Nevada loss.
Two long pitching performances marked the day for the Bulldog pair, as both Wilson and Louisiana Tech starter Ryan Rupert made quality starts on the day. Fresno State looked to draw the first blood right from the beginning, as Loren Storey singled on the second at-bat of the game, and moved to third base after taking second on a wild pitch and advancing to third on an error while trying to nab him at second. His fortune would not hold up, however, as he was caught trying to get the final base on a second pitch past the catcher, and the score remained knotted after the first.
Louisiana Tech also had an opportunity in the first, as Nick Grunenwald opened the game with a hit, and Adam Cobb walked to put two runners on with no outs. Wilson got Jericho Jones to ground into a double-play, the first of three Fresno State double plays on the day. Following that, Wilson struck out Brian Rike to end the inning, stranding Grunenwald on third.
The score remained knotted at 0-0 through three innings, as both starters worked through short patches of trouble. The Bulldogs finally were able to get to Rupert in the fourth inning however. Steve Susdorf led off the inning with a single, and Rupert then walked Tommy Mendonca and Alan Ahamady to load the bases for Danny Grubb, who made the most of the opportunity with a double into the gap, clearing the bases and giving Fresno State a 3-0 lead.
Fresno State's defense would hold for the rest of the way behind Wilson, who continued to pitch his way out of tough spots. In the fifth, Chris Kersten led off the inning with a single, and after a Grunenwald walk, Adam Cobb singled to left field that would have meant a run if not for an outstanding throw and cutoff from Susdorf and Mendonca that nailed Kersten at the plate to preserve Wilson's shutout.
The Bulldogs flashed more glove behind Wilson in the later innings, turning double-plays in both the sixth and seventh to help Wilson continue to log needed innings, as Rupert settled down, and eventually gave way to reliever Andrew Lassere, who held the Fresno State to one hit in 1.1 innings pitched.
Wilson trotted out in the ninth to try and complete his gem, but immediately ran into trouble. David Winn reached on an error to begin the inning, and that ballooned into a bases loaded jam as Wilson tried to close out the game, moving over 130 pitches. Reliever Brandon Burke stepped into a tough situation, but came through, striking out pinch-hitter Patrick Thomas and getting two more ground balls to record his fourth save of the season. Fresno State closed out the game by allowing one unearned run on the day.
The Bulldogs close out the important series Sunday with a 1:05 p.m. start. With the win on Saturday, Fresno State assured themselves of at least a tie for the regular-season championship with the Bayou Bulldogs, and can assure themselves of an overall tie with a win and a Nevada loss on Sunday. Fresno State also won the WAC title in 2006 before moving on to win the WAC Tournament and represent the conference in the NCAA Regional.
