Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Air Force
Argomaniz, Mundell Lift 'Dogs to 6-5 Road Win
4/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
By: Matt Burkholder
mburkholder@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Senior Manny Argomaniz provided a career-high five RBIs while senior Garrett Mundell closed the game, allowing one hit over three innings, to secure a 6-5 win against Air Force at Falcon Field on Sunday.
"It's really tough to win here," Argomaniz said about the Air Force Academy. "It's a tough place to play, and those guys definitely know how to play their home turf. So to come back from two disappointing losses yesterday and answer back with a win today was big for us."
Argomaniz recorded his five RBIs on three different hits, all in two-out situations. He went 3-for-4 from the plate and was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle.
"You have a plan and execute the best you can in each situation," said Argomaniz. "But at the end of the day, you're just trying to put the barrel on the ball and luckily they fell today."
In the seventh, Argomaniz tied the game 5-5 with a single through the left side for this third-straight hit of the game; it pushed Taylor Tempel across the plate for the third time in Sunday's game - a career-high for Tempel. Kevin Viers put the Bulldogs on top 6-5 on the next at-bat, hitting an RBI single up the middle to score Taylor Ward.
Air Force led off the home half of the seventh with a double, and Bulldog reliever Dylan Lee walked the next batter to put runners on first and second with no outs. With the Bulldogs clinging to their one run lead, enter Mundell.
"It was a pressure situation coming into the game, but you try to not think about it," said Mundell. "Coach Rousey was calling great pitches and Ward was doing a great job behind the plate, and I was attacking. The defense did a great job and it just makes the pressure go away a little bit."
The Bulldog senior was aided by a highlight reel catch in right-centerfield by Brody Russell for the first out in the seventh, and then Mundell induced a foul pop up to Ward and a groundout that traveled back to the pitcher's mound for the third out.
"When Brody made that catch, I was ecstatic, the whole team was," said Mundell. "It was such a great defensive play, and such a team play to lay his body out and make that catch. That was the key to us getting out of that seventh inning."
Mundell pitched for the remainder of the game, and allowed just one hit against 10 batters faced. He earned his second save of the 2015 season. Lee (4-2) was credited with the win.
Fresno State fought back for their first win of the series Sunday, having overcome a 4-1 deficit after the first inning. Air Force put its first three batters of the game on base and turned each one into a run. Starter Tim Borst struck out a pair with the bases loaded, but then surrendered back-to-back hits that led to his exit.
Redshirt freshman Anthony Arias provided the final punch out of the first. He went on to pitch four more innings. In 4 1/3 innings, Arias allowed one run on four hits.
Fresno State (19-21, 10-8 MW) closes out its five-game road trip at Sacramento State on Wednesday. First pitch is 6 p.m. from Raley Field.
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