Bulldogs stay perfect sweeping DH over YSU

Saturday, February 27

Fresno, Calif.

2:05 PM

Fresno State

6-0

Youngstown State

1-4

Youngstown State

Fresno State

Junior Jimmy Lambert threw a complete game shutout limiting YSU to three hits in game one on Saturday.

Bulldogs stay perfect sweeping DH over YSU

2/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Feb. 27, 2016

By: Travis Blanshan
tblanshan@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State baseball team stayed perfect Saturday sweeping a doubleheader over Youngstown State to improve to 7-0 on the season. The 'Dogs won game one 11-0 for the program's 2,500th win before narrowly escaping game two with a 6-5 victory.

Behind a complete game shutout from Jimmy Lambert on the mound in game one, Fresno State exploded for 11 runs on 11 hits to post its first shutout of 2016. The 'Dogs then jumped out to a 6-1 lead in game two before a four-run eighth inning by the Penguins made matters interesting at the end.

"It was good baseball from start to finish today," said head coach Mike Batesole after the Bulldogs doubleheader sweep over Youngstown State. "Jimmy was fantastic and did not walk anybody over nine innings. If you can get that out of your starter and give him a chance to finish that is huge. On a day when you know you are going to play 18 innings, it was good we did not have to use any pitchers in game one because of Jimmy's performance. We swung the bats well in the first game and you have to give their pitcher (Collin Floyd) a lot of credit with 11 strikeouts in game two."

The Bulldogs started the scoring early in game one pushing across three runs in the bottom of the first. It was only the second time this season Fresno State (7-0) has scored in the first inning.

Working with a three-run cushion, Lambert went to work tossing a flawfless first three innings before Youngstown State (1-5) got its first hit to lead off the fourth. A double play play got the 'Dogs out of any trouble and after a pair of hits by the Penguins in the fifth, Lambert held YSU without a hit the remainder of the game.

The 'Dogs added four runs in the fifth as Nick Warren came home to score on a wild pitch. Pinch-hitter Torin Goldstein knocked in a pair of runs on a single past the first baseman and the final run came around to score on a throwing error by the Penguins third baseman.

Fresno State added three runs in the seventh and one more in the eight to secure the win and notch its largest margin of victory since March 3, 2013 when the 'Dogs defeated USC 14-3.

"2500 wins is a gigantic number of wins," said Batesole on becoming only the 19th Division I program to reach that milestone. "We have such great support in this community from the Dugout Club as well as our alumni who are fantastic. The support we get from our administration is outstanding and then all the great players that have gone through this program. No one individual person or one team can accomplish that feat by themselves. That takes a lot of people giving their heart and effort over a lot of years to this program. The great support that we have that is why the players that are currently playing here love playing here so much."

Youngstown State jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in game two using a Bulldog error to get on base and a double by Andrew Kendrick brang home Shane Willoughby to give the Penguins the lead for only the second time in the team's three games.

The Bulldogs responded in the bottom half of the inning as freshman Ross Dodds recorded his first hit as a Bulldog lining a double down the left field line to bring around Aaron Arruda and McCarthy Tatum. Dodds came home to score his first run as a Bulldog two batters later on a single to left field by Ryan Dobson.

The 'Dogs added a run in the fifth after Stone hit a one-out triple to right center and came home to score on an error by the Youngstown State shortstop. After adding two runs in the sixth on RBIs from Brody Russell and Stone, Fresno State took a 6-1 into the eighth inning.

With Edgar Gonzalez getting his start second start of the season and working the first inning, Brennon Williams, Rickey Ramirez and Dylan Lee followed with two innings apiece as the trio limited the Penguins to three hits and one run.

Freshman Kenny Varnell, seeing his first action as a Bulldog, retired his first batter of the eighth before allowing a double and a walk to the next two. With fellow freshman Ryan Sullivan, also making his Bulldog debut, coming on in relief, Youngstown State pushed across four runs in the frame to make it a one-run game before being relieved by closer Time Borst.

Borst notched a pair of pair of strikeouts to escape the eighth stranding a pair of runners and added two more in the ninth before getting a groundout to Tatum at third base to pick up his fourth save of the season and secure the win for the 'Dogs.

The Bulldogs and Youngstown State wrap up their four-game series on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. at Pete Beiden Field.

Notes
- It is the first 7-0 start under Batesole (since 2003) and the first 7-0 start for Fresno State since 1980.
- Lambert's complete game shutout was the first for a Bulldog since May 1, 2015 when Jake Shull went nine innings allowing one hit with three strikeouts in a 4-0 win at San Jose State.
- The nine innings Lambert tossed are a new career-high.
- Guibor's three hits in game one tied a single-game career-high.
- Burks had his first multi-hit game as a Bulldog in game one.
- Ryan Sullivan and Kenny Varnell made their Fresno State debuts on the mound in game two.

Mountain West Saturday Scoreboard
at San Jose State 8, Loyola Marymount 5
at UC Irvine 8, Nevada 7 (10 innings)
Kentucky 6, San Diego State 0
West Virginia 13, at UNLV 1
at New Mexico 8, Wichita State 4
Navy 5, Air Force 0

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