Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
35-24
No. 2 San Diego State
40-19
'Diamond Dogs run-rule Aztecs 12-1 to force a deciding MW Tournament Championship game on Sunday
5/27/2017 7:23:00 PM | Baseball
Staying red-hot from the plate and winning its third straight elimination game at the Mountain West Tournament, the Fresno State baseball team run-ruled San Diego State 12-1 in seven innings on Saturday evening to force a deciding championship game on Sunday at 12 p.m. PT at Santa Ana Star Field.
Fresno State (35-24), who won for the 17th time over its last 21 games, continued to pound the ball all over the field tallying 15 hits in the contest for its fourth straight game of the tournament with 15 or more hits. Seven of the nine Bulldog starters registered at least one hit as three 'Dogs led the way with three hits apiece. Senior outfielder Austin Guibor went 3-for-4 with a pair of singles, a home run, two RBIs and scored a career-best four runs.
Senior outfielder Jake Stone had his third multi-hit game of the tournament adding three hits, including his 11th home run of the season and tied his career-best with four runs driven in. Senior third baseman Jesse Medrano added three singles, an RBI and scored two runs while junior outfielder Jared Akins added his team-leading 23rd double of the season.
Junior right-handed pitcher Rickey Ramirez was sensational on the mound tossing a complete game limiting San Diego State (40-19) to six hits in seven innings, one run and added a strikeout to pick up his third win of the season.
"We swung the bats aggressively," said head coach Mike Batesole. "With what Ricky did and what our defense did was fantastic. And if we are going to get it done tomorrow, then it's going to be all about pitching and defense."
"Defense is what kept us in the game and to be able to turn four double plays throughout the game helps a lot as well as all the offense," added Ramirez.
The Bulldogs extended the advantage to 8-0 after five innings with back-to-back three-run frames in the fourth and fifth innings. Freshman catcher Carter Bins laid down a well-executed sacrifice bunt to bring in one run and Guibor followed with his fifth home run of the season with a shot to right field. The 'Dogs did more of the same in the fifth tacking on to the lead with an RBI single to left field by Medrano, a single back up the middle by Korby Batesole as the junior shortstop came around to score on a wild pitch.
A two-run home run by Stone in the sixth inning, the 14th of the 'Dogs in the tournament that set a new Mountain West Tournament record, pushed the lead to 10-0 before Stone drove in two more runs in the seventh with a single to left-center made it 12-0 in favor of the 'Dogs.
The Aztecs scored a run in the bottom of the seventh, but Ramirez was able to strand two runners on base to lock up the win.
With the win, Fresno State in now one win shy of advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. The 'Dogs will also attempt to win their first Mountain West Tournament championship since joining the conference in 2013 and will go for the seventh tournament title under Batesole who won the WAC Tournament title in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 & 2012.
With three more wins while facing elimination, the 'Dogs improve to an impressive 14-5 in conference tournament elimination games since 2008 and are 4-1 in championship games.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ramirez, Rickey (3-6)
L: THOMPSON, Cody (2-2)
Batting:
2B: Akins, Jared 1
HR: Guibor, Austin 1 ; Stone, Jake 1
RBI: Guibor, Austin 2 ; Stone, Jake 4 ; Akins, Jared 1 ; Medrano, Jesse 1 ; Batesole, Korby 1 ; Bins, Carter 1
SH: Bins, Carter 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Guibor, Austin 4 ; Stone, Jake 1 ; Arruda, Aaron 1 ; Silva, Scott 1 ; Medrano, Jesse 2 ; Ashford, Zach 1 ; Batesole, Korby 1 ; Bins, Carter 1
HBP: Bins, Carter 1
Batting:
2B: SHEEHAN, Danny 1
RBI: MARTINEZ, Andrew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: SHEEHAN, Danny 1
