Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Nevada
'Dogs Drop Opener to Nevada
4/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
By: Andrew Rich
arich1221@mail.fresnostate.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. -- Three Fresno State pitchers held a powerful Nevada offense to just three hits, but the Wolf Pack made the most of them on Friday night in a 5-4 win over the Bulldogs at Beiden Field.
Starting pitcher Jake Shull, making his first start of the season, had allowed just one hit and two unearned runs through four innings and Fresno State led 4-2 going into the fifth.
But with two outs and runners at first and second, Nevada (27-7, 13-3 MW) strung together two of their three hits on the night to grab a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Trenton Brooks singled through the right side to drive in Cal Stevenson, and Kewby Meyer followed that with a triple into the right field corner that scored Ryan Howell and Brooks to give the Wolf Pack a 5-4 lead. Stevenson and Howell had each reached on walks.
The Bulldogs' best chance to tie the game or take a lead came in the bottom of the sixth when they loaded the bases via singles from Ryan Dobson and Taylor Ward and a walk to Taylor Tempel. Nevada brought in lefty Jojo Romero from the bullpen to face left-handed hitting Austin Guibor and induced a 4-6-3 double play to escape the jam and preserve the 5-4 lead.
Romero and closer Adam Whitt combined to throw 3.2 innings of perfect relief for Nevada. Whitt recorded his nation's-best 12th save of the season by working a 1-2-3 ninth.
Fresno State (16-18, 7-6) relievers Anthony Arias and Garrett Mundell combined to throw four innings of hitless baseball in innings six through nine. The only base runner the duo allowed in the four innings was a two-out hit batter by Arias in the top of the eighth.
Shull worked five innings and allowed just three hits. He allowed five runs, three were earned and he also walked three and had three strikeouts.
The teams return to Beiden Field on Saturday night at 6:35 p.m. for game two of the three game Mountain West Conference series.
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