'Dogs suffer first loss falling 5-4 at SDSU

Sunday, March 6

San Diego, Calif.

2:00 PM

Fresno State

11-1, 2-1

San Diego State

2-10, 1-2

Fresno State

San Diego State

'Dogs suffer first loss falling 5-4 at SDSU

3/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 6, 2016

Box Score

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

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Despite taking a two-run lead into the bottom of the eighth, Fresno State dropped its first game of 2016 on Sunday afternoon falling 5-4 to San Diego State at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

"We knew it was going to be a defensive game today and was going to come down to who played a better defensive game," said head coach Mike Batesole after the 'Dogs tough defeat. "We knew their pitcher (Brett Seeburger) is going throw strikes and Anthony (Arias) has been throwing strikes so we knew it would come down to defense. We will be ready to go tomorrow at Long Beach State, but to be able to win two out of three on the road at the team that has been the class of the Mountain West the past three years should be feeling pretty good."

Fresno State (11-1, 2-1 MW) collected seven hits on the day as both Jake Stone and Korby Batesole had two hits apiece. Austin Guibor, Brody Russell and Aaron Arruda added the 'Dogs other three hits as Russell added two RBIs and Guibor and Arruda had one RBI apiece. Batesole scored two runs, and Guibor and Ryan Dobson added the other two.

On the mound, Anthony Arias had his third consecutive quality start throwing 6.0 innings allowing eight hits, two earned runs, one walk and struck out four. After entering the game allowing only five hits and zero earned runs in 12.1 innings, Arias surrendered his first two runs of the season in the second inning as San Diego State (2-10, 1-2 MW) took an early 2-0 lead.

The Bulldogs cut the lead in half with a run in the fifth inning on a one-out single to right field from Guibor bringing around Batesole from second. The 'Dogs broke through in the seventh scoring three two-out runs to take a 4-2 lead.

Batesole got the two-out rally started with a single to center and was followed by back-to-back walks from Ryan Dobson and Guibor. With the bases loaded for Russell, the 'Dogs leader in batting average, hits and RBIs, the senior delivered lining a shot over the head of Justin Wylie for a two-RBI single bringing home Batesole and Dobson to put the 'Dogs ahead 3-2. A walk to Stone loaded the bases back up for Aaron Arruda. Arruda also drew a walk to score Guibor for a two-run cushion.

After a quick 1-2-3 inning from Rickey Ramirez in the bottom half of the seventh, Dylan Lee came on in the eighth. After picking up a quick flyout to Stone in left, the senior southpaw ran into trouble after a strikeout got away from Joe Prior allowing a would-be out to remain on the basepaths. After a single and an error loaded the bases, Tim Borst came on relief of Lee.

Unfortunately for the 'Dogs, the change of pitching did not help as the Aztecs responded with a two-run RBI single to right field off of Borst to tie the game at four. The Aztecs pushed across the eventual game-winner two batters later with a single to right field, and tried to add another run, but he was gunned down at the plate by Guibor.

A ninth-inning rally was not in the cards as three flyouts ended the game and the 'Dogs perfect start to the season.

The 'Dogs will try to get back to their winning ways on Monday night traveling to Long Beach State (7-4) for a non-conference matchup with the Dirtbags at 6:00 p.m. from Blair Field. Right-hander Edgar Gonzalez will go for the Bulldogs with Long Beach State countering with righty Dave Smith.

Notes
- The 11-game winning streak is the third longest of the Batesole era trailing only 16 and 17-game winning streaks in 2006. Fresno State finished 45-18 that year.
- It was the first road series win over San Diego State since joining the Mountain West.
- Korby Batesole and Jake Stone both had their third multi-hit games of the season.
- Arruda had his team-high fifth double of the season after having only four all of last season.
- Five 'Dogs now have on-base streaks of six games or longer. Stone has reached base in all 12 games, followed by Russell (11), Guibor (10), Dobson (7), Arruda (6).
- Russell extened his hitting streak to 11 games and had his third multi-RBI game of the season.
- Ramirez had his third straight scoreless outing as he continues to have a 0.00 ERA on the year.
- Tim Borst also maintained his 0.00 ERA after getting the final two outs in the eighth inning.
- The 'Dogs had been 5-0 in one-run games before dropping their first today.

Mountain West Sunday Scoreboard
at UNLV 4, San Jose State 2
Dallas Baptist 12, at New Mexico 11
Nevada at Air Force - Suspended after 8 innings due to travel

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