Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Pepperdine
No. 28 Dogs Sweep Waves
2/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 27, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State baseball team is off to fast start in 2011. The Dogs are 6-0 after two weekends and it is the best start for the Bulldogs since 1995. Fresno State swept the doubleheader against Pepperdine 7-5 and 8-1, respectively.
The Bulldogs pitching staff had another great round of outings on the mound. The team ERA is 1.83 and they struck out a total of 19 batters over the weekend. They also allowed on six earned runs in 27 innings of work in the last three games.
The offense was sparked by three home runs over the weekend, two of which came from Preseason All-WAC selection Dusty Robinson. The Dogs hit .292 in the series and had eight hits for extra bases.
Over the weekend series, the Bulldogs fielded five double plays against the Waves.
Game One: Fresno State 7, Pepperdine 5
Sophomore Austin Wynns caught a runner attempting to steal second base to end the top of the third inning and keeping Pepperdine scoreless.
Senior Danny Muno drove in the go ahead run giving the Dogs a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. The third baseman leads the team in RBIs with eight.
Senior Greg Gonzalez started the first game of the doubleheader. The righty sat down the batters in order 1-2-3 in the fourth inning. He threw five scoreless innings and allowed only one earned run. Gonzalez struck out six Pepperdine batters in five and two-thirds.
Gonzalez leads the team with 14 strikeouts and has an overall record on the mound of 1-0. He has an ERA of 1.42 and a total of 12 and two-thirds innings pitched.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Dogs increased their lead 2-0 after junior Pat Hutcheson hit an RBI single to right field. The inning continued with Brennan Gowens coming to the plate with the bases loaded. The Preseason All-WAC center fielder hit a sacrifice fly to left field that allowed the Dogs to score and extend their lead to 3-0.
Pepperdine got on the board in the top of the sixth inning scoring two runs and trailing the Dogs 3-2.
The Bulldog bats heated up in the bottom of the sixth inning. Robinson hit a solo jack over the left field wall and the Dogs lead grew to 4-2. Designated hitter Kenny Wise followed with a triple off the right field wall. Wynns recorded his third hit of the game and allowed Wise to score. The Dogs had their largest lead of the game, 5-2.
The Waves answered with a run in the seventh inning cutting the Dogs lead to 5-3.
Muno recorded two stolen bases against the Waves. The senior has 40 career stolen bases and needs four more to move into seventh place in the Fresno State record books.
Pepperdine added two runs in the top of the eighth inning tying the game 5-5.
Muno hit a double to left field that allowed two runs to score and the Bulldogs regained the lead, 7-5.
The Bulldogs got help out of the bullpen from pitchers Taylor Garrison and Tyler Linehan. Both recorded 0.00 ERA's on the day. Garrison allowed zero hits, walks and struckout one batter.
The Dogs beat the Waves by a score of 7-5.
Game Two: Fresno State 8, Pepperdine 1
The Dogs jumped ahead to a 4-0 lead over Pepperdine after producing five hits in the first inning.
Harlan started on the mound in the nightcap at Beiden Field. The junior struck out two batters in a career-high six and third innings. Harlan has allowed one run in 12 innings of work and has an ERA of .75. He also has a 1-0 record in two starts this season.
The Bulldogs defense was solid again after perfectly defending several bunt attempts by the Waves in the top of the fifth inning. Pepperdine stranded two runners in scoring position and were unable to score.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, senior Jordan Ribera drove in a run with single to right field extending the Dogs lead 5-0. Pinch hitter Chris Mallory came to bat with runners on the corners. The junior singled to right field allowing another run to score and increasing the Dogs lead 6-0.
Muno tied the career run record of 207 runs after scoring two runs today. He is currently tied with Tom Goodwin and former teammate Steve Susdorf.
Pepperdine got on the board in the seventh inning scoring a run and trailing the Dogs 6-1.
Freshman Justin Haley made his debut on the mound. He struck out three batters in two and two-thirds innings of work. Haley allowed no runs, no walks and only one hit.
In the eighth inning, Hutcheson hit a base clearing triple and the Bulldogs went on to win the final game of the series 8-1.
The Bulldogs host Cal Poly on Tuesday, March 1 for the first midweek game of the season.
"We Are Your Team!" Fresno State finishes the eight-game homestand with a midweek game against Cal Poly on Tuesday, March 1 at 6:05 p.m. The Bulldogs travel to UC Davis next weekend for a three game series against the Aggies.
