Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
UNLV
'Dogs Fast Start Paves Way to 6-1 Win
5/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
By: Matt Burkholder
mburkholder@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
LAS VEGAS - Fresno State used three runs in the first to set the tone in its Friday opener at UNLV, and carried that lead throughout the game for a 6-1 victory at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
"A guy like [Kenny] Oakley, as soon as he finds it and gets in his rhythm, you know he's going to cruise for a few innings," said head coach Mike Batesole. "He's their Friday guy, and sometimes you got to get those guys before they find it. That could be what happened. As soon as that first inning was over, he was pretty dang sharp."
Each run Fresno State (25-25, 14-11 MW) scored in the first resulted from a string of three consecutive two-out RBI hits by Kevin Viers, Manny Argomaniz and Kenny Corey. Taylor Tempel led off with a single to get the offense going during the Bulldogs' three run, four hit start.
Jake Shull guided the Bulldogs the rest of the way. The 'Dogs Friday ace pitched another gem, going to 6 1/3 innings and allowing just one run. His Mountain West best ERA dropped to 1.80 on the year following the effort. The run UNLV registered in the sixth was the first run allowed by Shull in the last 15 innings of work for the Bulldog junior.
"Very proud of the way he went about his business," Batesole said about Shull. "He didn't walk anybody, and he was ahead in the count. I don't know how many times I looked up and saw the count was one and two. That's so much better for your defense and you as a pitcher. That's what you hope your starters can do."
The bullpen combination of Tim Borst, Casey Rodriguez and Garrett Mundell closed the game out. The trio surrendered one hit over 2 1/3 innings. Mundell earned his third save of the season - entering in the eighth with the tying run in the on deck circle.
Fresno State scored again in the fourth, and plated one more in the seventh and another in the ninth. Tempel hit a two-out RBI single in the fourth and Argomaniz connected for a two-out RBI single in the ninth. The only run of the six that scored on Friday that was not a two-out base hit was in the seventh when Tempel advanced home on a wild pitch.
Tempel (3-for-5) and Viers (3-for-5) led Fresno State with three hits each, while Argomaniz (2-for-4) and Corey (2-for-4) both chipped in two. Fresno State recorded 14 hits on Friday, the most since April 11 at home against Nevada.
The Bulldogs are now 10-3 on the year when scoring in the first inning, and move to 18-6 this season when being the first team to score.
The series continues in Las Vegas on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. Fresno State will start southpaw Ricky Thomas (3-2, 3.13 ERA) against righty D.J. Myers (2-2, 4.20 ERA).
"Be Bold!" - The official home of the Fresno State Bulldogs is 940 AM ESPN Radio.
