Fresno State Athletics
Friday, March 6
Phoenix, AZ
5:30 PM
Fresno State
3
at
4
No. 10 Arizona State
Photo by: Kiel Maddox
Bulldogs fall 4-3 in hard-fought game at No. 10 ASU
3/6/2020 9:00:00 PM | Baseball
PHOENIX - The Diamond 'Dogs saw their six-game winning streak come to a halt on Friday evening at No. 10 Arizona State falling 4-3 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
With redshirt sophomore Dylan Johnson in scoring position and representing the tying run at second base with one out in the top of the ninth, the Bulldogs were unable to drive him home going down on strikes twice.
Fresno State (8-5) outhit Arizona State (11-4) eight to five in the game with junior outfielder Nate Thimjon leading the 'Dogs going 2-for-5 with a single, double and pair of RBI.
The middle part of the Bulldogs order each collected one single apiece as the 'Dogs four through seven batters all reached base at least once.
On the mound, junior left-hander Jaime Arias threw six strong innings limiting the Sun Devils to four hits, three earned runs while striking out three.
Redshirt senior Ryan Sullivan tossed a scoreless seventh before giving way to freshman right-hander Alex Kendrick who suffered his first career loss.
How It Happened
The Bulldogs looked to jump on the board right off the bat off ASU starting pitcher Cooper Benson loading the bases with one out in the top of the first inning. Unfortunately, the Sun Devil freshman left-hander was able to get back-to-back strikeouts of Matt Ottino and Zach Morgan to escape the early jam.
Arizona State responded in the bottom of the frame with two quick runs opening up with three straight hits off Arias. The third hit was a RBI single to right field by Trevor Hauver which was followed by a sacrifice fly to left field by second baseman Drew Swift for a 2-0 lead for the Sun Devils.
ASU added a run in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly to left field by Swift to take a 3-0 lead.
Held to two hits by Benson through the first four innings, the Bulldogs broke through on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth. Center fielder EJ Andrews. Jr. led off with a single through the left side before designated hitter Ryan Higgins kept the frame alive with a two-out single to left field. Thimjon delivered a clutch two-out extra-base hit with a two-run RBI double to left-center driving in both Andrews, Jr. and Higgins (watch) to cut the ASU lead to 3-2.
With Arias keeping the dangerous Sun Devils both scoreless and hitless over his final three innings, the 'Dogs tied up the game at 3-3 in the top of the seventh on double play by Higgins that drove in pinch-hitter Andrew Kachel from third base. The freshman, who did not start for the first time this season, led off with a single to center field, stole second base and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jeff Jamison.
The eventual game-winning run came for the Sun Devils in the bottom of the eighth as Kendrick issued leadoff walks to Alika Williams and Spencer Torkelson as the pair each moved up a base on a wild pitch. With Kendrick able to nab two outs on a strikeout and a fielder's choice that saw Jamison gun down Williams at home, right fielder Hunter Jump greeted new Bulldog pitcher Nikoh Mitchell with a single to center field to drive in Torkelson for the winning run.
Up next
The Bulldogs and Sun Devils play game two of the weekend series on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT.
"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition and in life. To become a BDF member, please visit bulldogfoundation.org.
Follow us on:Â
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Instagram:Â fresnostateathletics
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
With redshirt sophomore Dylan Johnson in scoring position and representing the tying run at second base with one out in the top of the ninth, the Bulldogs were unable to drive him home going down on strikes twice.
Fresno State (8-5) outhit Arizona State (11-4) eight to five in the game with junior outfielder Nate Thimjon leading the 'Dogs going 2-for-5 with a single, double and pair of RBI.
The middle part of the Bulldogs order each collected one single apiece as the 'Dogs four through seven batters all reached base at least once.
On the mound, junior left-hander Jaime Arias threw six strong innings limiting the Sun Devils to four hits, three earned runs while striking out three.
Redshirt senior Ryan Sullivan tossed a scoreless seventh before giving way to freshman right-hander Alex Kendrick who suffered his first career loss.
How It Happened
The Bulldogs looked to jump on the board right off the bat off ASU starting pitcher Cooper Benson loading the bases with one out in the top of the first inning. Unfortunately, the Sun Devil freshman left-hander was able to get back-to-back strikeouts of Matt Ottino and Zach Morgan to escape the early jam.
Arizona State responded in the bottom of the frame with two quick runs opening up with three straight hits off Arias. The third hit was a RBI single to right field by Trevor Hauver which was followed by a sacrifice fly to left field by second baseman Drew Swift for a 2-0 lead for the Sun Devils.
ASU added a run in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly to left field by Swift to take a 3-0 lead.
Held to two hits by Benson through the first four innings, the Bulldogs broke through on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth. Center fielder EJ Andrews. Jr. led off with a single through the left side before designated hitter Ryan Higgins kept the frame alive with a two-out single to left field. Thimjon delivered a clutch two-out extra-base hit with a two-run RBI double to left-center driving in both Andrews, Jr. and Higgins (watch) to cut the ASU lead to 3-2.
With Arias keeping the dangerous Sun Devils both scoreless and hitless over his final three innings, the 'Dogs tied up the game at 3-3 in the top of the seventh on double play by Higgins that drove in pinch-hitter Andrew Kachel from third base. The freshman, who did not start for the first time this season, led off with a single to center field, stole second base and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jeff Jamison.
The eventual game-winning run came for the Sun Devils in the bottom of the eighth as Kendrick issued leadoff walks to Alika Williams and Spencer Torkelson as the pair each moved up a base on a wild pitch. With Kendrick able to nab two outs on a strikeout and a fielder's choice that saw Jamison gun down Williams at home, right fielder Hunter Jump greeted new Bulldog pitcher Nikoh Mitchell with a single to center field to drive in Torkelson for the winning run.
Up next
The Bulldogs and Sun Devils play game two of the weekend series on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT.
"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition and in life. To become a BDF member, please visit bulldogfoundation.org.
Follow us on:Â
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateBSB
Instagram:Â fresnostateathletics
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
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