It wasn't supposed to end this way. Fresno State's baseball team entered the College World Series with the lowest NCAA tournament seed since the CWS began in 1948. In Omaha, Neb., the Bulldogs joined seven teams with deep traditions, blazing pitching and fearsome lineups. And none of it mattered.On June 25, 2008, Fresno State defeated another team of Bulldogs, from Georgia, to claim only the second NCAA team championship in the university's history.
Blogging from Omaha
Staff writers Bryant-Jon Anteola and Matt James blogged throughout the Bulldogs' run in Omaha. Anteola posted during the games.
Countdown to history
An interactive timeline, 24 Hours of Glory, tracks the Diamond 'Dogs from the first pitch of the final game against Georgia to the next evening's championship celebration in Fresno.
WASHINGTON - A mutual admiration society formed Wednesday as President George W. Bush welcomed to the White House the national-champion Fresno State Bulldogs baseball team.The president lavished praise on the ballplayers, while they in turn soaked up the rare 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue experience, including a private meeting with Bush where they said Bush got excited talking baseball. "You talk about a team that refused to quit," Bush said of the Bulldogs. "I suspect some ... wrote you off ... I thank you for your willingness to never say die, your willingness to keep fighting."The Bulldogs in June beat the University of Georgia to win the College World Series, becoming the lowest-seeded team in any sport to win an NCAA championship. Bush quoted Bulldogs outfielder Steve Detwiler: " 'It's mind over matter. The pain is temporary. The pride is forever' I suspect ... a lot of athletes, whether they were on your team or on the teams represented here, can testify that pride is forever."Detwiler later told Fresno State officials: "I was videotaping the speech, and when he said my name, I started shaking," the school's athletics Web site reported. "I had chills up my spine and couldn't hold the camera still. This is way too soon, too much to even think about right now. I'm in awe, really. I'm lost for words." All 25 players on last season's Fresno State championship baseball team, along with coaches and university officials, gathered on the South Lawn of the White House for what Bush called "champions' day." The Bulldogs were joined by eight other college championship teams, ranging from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks' rifle teams to the Northwestern University women's lacrosse team.The Marine Band played as people were getting set up at the early-afternoon event. As the teams were introduced, the band struck up a march and the players made their entrances out of the White House and down matching curved staircases to the South Lawn."Just being here is awesome," said Justin Wilson, a Bulldogs pitcher now playing pro ball. "This whole day has been amazing, unreal."Embracing athletic champions is a standard presidential perk, a chance to mingle with young people who have accomplished something remarkable. The South Lawn ceremony held Wednesday under cold, mottled skies, though, seemed to carry special poignancy for the president and players alike. Bush truly loves baseball, as one-time managing general partner of the Texas Rangers. "He's a big baseball guy," said pitcher Brandon Burke, now playing pro ball. "He knows how it is."Now a lame duck president with record-low approval ratings, Bush is only about two months away from beginning his post-White House life in Texas. The sports celebration Wednesday was almost certainly the last of his presidency.For Fresno State coaches and players, too, the gathering was a special moment. The entire team, including the five players from last season who have gone on to play pro ball, reconvened in Fresno to fly out together Tuesday."This might be the last time we are all together again," Bulldogs Coach Mike Batesole said. The White House tradition includes the presentation of gifts. Fresno State players presented Bush with an autographed baseball, a Bulldog cap and a jersey with his name and No. 1. Meeting with the team in private before the South Lawn ceremony, Bush regaled players with a story about his father, the former president, who played baseball at Yale. He asked after the players who have turned pro, and spoke of the difficulties in getting through the College World Series in Omaha. He seemed at home talking sports with young men."It was like we were just sitting there at a restaurant, talking," said pitcher Holden Sprague, a senior this year. "You could hear it in his voice -- he was a little bit excited talking about baseball."After arriving in Washington on Tuesday evening, the team took in some of the city's traditional tourist highlights like the Lincoln Memorial. The players' consensus assessment: in a word, "awesome."On Wednesday evening, following the White House ceremony, the team hosted a hotel reception for Fresno State alumni in the Washington, D.C., area. They were scheduled to return to California early this morning, to pick up their post-championship lives."That was quite a ride we were on," Batesole said. A book that chronicles the Fresno State baseball team's improbable run to a national championship comes out in late December.But the latest chapter in the Bulldogs' remarkable underdog story will take place today in Washington, D.C., when the team will be introduced on the South Lawn of the White House and will meet President Bush.The trip includes a tour of the White House and other sites in the nation's capital.Yet another accolade awaits the Bulldogs, who were nominated for Sports Illustrated's Sportsmen of the Year. The winner will be announced Dec. 2."It's the biggest story in Fresno State history and one of the most incredible underdog stories of all time," said Paul Loeffler, who authored the 166-page book that's titled "Underdogs to Wonderdogs."Fresno State, which dropped 12 of its first 20 games, lost its best pitcher just before the postseason and needed to win the Western Athletic Conference tournament simply to get into the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs were the lowest-seeded team to win a national college title."It's hard to find a longer long-shot than that team," said Loeffler, who has done radio broadcasts of Bulldogs baseball games since 2001. "It's ridiculous to think back at what they accomplished. How did they do it again?"The Bulldogs are expected to give Bush a few gifts: an autographed baseball, a Bulldogs baseball cap and a jersey with the No. 1 and Bush's name on the back."This will be a surreal experience," Bulldogs coach Mike Batesole said in a news release. "You see teams meeting the president after winning something big but never imagine it will be you. It's what dreams are made of. We are proud to go and represent a great university and a great community."Fresno State's trip to the White House follows a list of honors the Bulldogs have received since they won the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., in June.The Bulldogs received an invitation to the state capitol and the ESPY Awards in July. The team also was honored by the cities of Fresno and Clovis.Fresno State was seeded No. 4 in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament, an equivalent to a No. 13 seed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, and pulled off upset after upset and survived six elimination games to complete the Cinderella run."Little did any of us know exactly what sort of emotional rollercoaster we were about to be strapped into," Fresno State relief pitcher Brandon Burke wrote in the book's foreword. "But every one of us was anxious for the ride of a lifetime.""Underdogs to Wonderdogs" details the Bulldogs' struggles from their season-opening loss to UC-Davis to the dogpile celebration at Rosenblatt Stadium after defeating Georgia in the championship.The book highlights the pranks and silliness during the playoff run, such as pitcher Kris Tomlinson's skull-ett and the shiner he accidentally received after the final dogpile."The coaches tried to contain us," Burke wrote, "but we were past the point of no return."Orders for the book can be made at www.wonderdogsbook.com or at (559) 233-6633 and costs $34.95 or $29.95 if ordered before Nov. 30. The book is expected to hit shelves sometime in late December. OMAHA, Neb. -- Just when Fresno State seemed to be reaching a stage too grand to own and its element of surprise too old to work again, the Bulldogs pulled off yet another shocker.Domination.Against another nationally ranked foe.At the College World Series, where no team from the field of eight has looked as imposing as the underdog Bulldogs.Fresno State throttled No. 6 national seed Rice for a 17-5 win Sunday at Rosenblatt Stadium as if the Owls were lower-level Western Athletic Conference competition.The 10-run mercy rule would have been in effect had this been a WAC contest this year, and the two met as they once regularly did before Rice left the conference in 2005.Within four innings and before an announced crowd of 18,108, Fresno State had built an 11-0 lead. When it was over, the Bulldogs had scored the most runs in a CWS game since Tennessee rang up 19 in 2001 and the most runs allowed against Rice this season."You're always shocked when a team hits that well and scores runs against a good pitching staff," said Rice coach Wayne Graham, whose Owls had entered Sunday with a 3.63 earned-run average and were 5-0 in the postseason. "Fresno State did an incredible job of hitting today. It's hard to hit the ball that well in batting practice."Every time we made a bad pitch, they drove it. When we made a good pitch, they fought it off. They were able to capitalize on everything we did."Now, the Bulldogs move to the winner's bracket of the four-team, double-elimination portion of the CWS and will face No. 2 national seed North Carolina (52-12) at 4 p.m. Tuesday.As if facing the two-time reigning national runners-up wasn't enough, the Bulldogs have been dealt yet another blow with No. 2 pitcher Clayton Allison (3-5, 4.07) scratched from his start Tuesday because of tendinitis in his shoulder.The Bulldogs already have been getting by without ace Tanner Scheppers, whose absence has made Fresno State's run all the more astonishing.Scheppers, out with a shoulder injury the past six weeks, is not on Fresno State's 25-man active roster and will not pitch in the CWS.Fresno State simply seems to be on a tear despite the obstacles -- helped and hardened by its difficult path to reach the CWS after facing elite pitching against Long Beach State and San Diego in regional play, then elite hitting against No. 3 national seed Arizona State in the Super Regional."This is our fifth week in a row on the road, and each week has gotten a little more difficult," Fresno State coach Mike Batesole said. "We saw the Pac-10 pitcher of the year, the Big West pitcher of the year, the [West Coast Conference] pitcher of the year. ... So we've seen some great pitching."Then Sunday, the Bulldogs met Rice starter Ryan Berry, who had been 8-4 with a 3.31 ERA, pitched for Team USA at the Pan Am Games and is considered one of the nation's best pitchers.Fresno State lit up Berry for nine runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks before forcing his removal after 31/3 innings.The Bulldogs hit four home runs -- including three-run homers from Danny Muno, Jordan Ribera and Alan Ahmady -- in taking a 4-0 lead after two innings, an 11-0 lead after four, and a 16-2 lead after six.And they did it all despite an 0-for-4 outing from cleanup hitter Steve Susdorf, who along with second baseman Erik Wetzel are the Bulldogs' only drafted position players.Muno, the leadoff hitter, finished 2 for 6 with five RBIs and two runs. No. 3 hitter Wetzel was 3 for 5 with an RBI and two runs. No. 5 hitter Ahmady was 2 for 4 with three RBIs and three runs. And No. 9 hitter Ribera was 2 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs."Right now, they're probably the best hitting team I've faced," Berry said. "One through nine, it's very difficult to pitch to a team that's this hot."Justin Wilson, who has taken over as the Bulldogs' ace, held up his end with seven innings of two-run ball.In typical Wilson fashion, the lefty and fifth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates danced in and out of jams in scattering eight hits and four walks. Wilson could get away with an aggressive approach and pitch to contact with Fresno State in command.And with performances like Sunday's, the Bulldogs continue to make believers out of more and more people. They've even convinced themselves that they'd rather be the underdogs."Being the underdog, I think that's almost to an advantage," outfielder Gavin Hedstrom said. "We love proving that we're better than what everyone else says, and I think that's really helped us come this far."Also ... With the victory, Fresno State is assured of playing in the CWS at least through Thursday.Louisiana State and Rice play in the start of the loser's bracket, with that game's winner to face the Fresno State/North Carolina loser on Thursday.Should Fresno State win Tuesday, it would not have to play until Friday. The last time Fresno State was in the CWS, the Bulldogs upset top-seed Florida State to begin the 1991 tournament but lost their next two and had to settle for fifth place. North Carolina likely will start right-hander Adam Warren (9-1, 4.07), who is 22-1 in his three-year career. Despite his near-flawless record, Warren was not taken until the 36th round of the draft by Cleveland. Fresno State captured its third straight Western Athletic Conference tournament championship Sunday, defeating Nevada 6-4 in Ruston, La., to earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.The title guarantees the Bulldogs a third consecutive NCAA regional berth, the first time since 1997 that Fresno State has earned three or more straight regional bids."It is always your goal when coming into a program to leave it better. To win three straight WAC titles, three straight tournament titles and go to three straight regionals is definitely leaving the program better," said Fresno State senior Steve Susdorf, who capped a week in which he was named WAC Player of the Year by adding conference tournament MVP to his résumé.The Bulldogs went 4-0 in the tournament at Louisiana Tech's Pat Patterson Park, and are 12-0 in the event during the past three years. Holden Sprague earned Sunday's win, allowing three hits and two runs in 51/3 innings."He did a fantastic job," second baseman Erik Wetzel said. "Today was the hardest day because of how hot it was. He kept it together."Justin Wilson pitched two innings and Brandon Burke earned his 10th save of the season and third of the tournament with 12/3 hitless innings.Fresno State had 12 hits, including three each from Danny Muno and Tommy Mendonca.Trailing 2-0, the Bulldogs scored five runs in the fifth, four of them off Nevada starter Chris Garcia."Of the three in a row, this was far and away the toughest," Fresno State coach Mike Batesole said. "This team has played their hearts out every day."Alan Ahmady, Wilson and Susdorf were named to the all-tournament team. LONG BEACH -- Fresno State did it again.The Bulldogs pulled off another opening-round shocker of the NCAA Tournament, upsetting top-seed and regional host Long Beach State 7-3 on Friday at Blair Field to move into the winner's bracket and prolong their season at least through Sunday.Starting pitcher Justin Wilson struck out 11 and gave up two runs on three hits, and the Bulldogs' heart of the order -- No. 3 hitter Erik Wetzel, No. 4 hitter Steve Susdorf and No. 5 hitter Alan Ahmady -- combined to go 5 for 10 with five runs and three RBIs."We came out with a bit of an edge," Wetzel said. "The whole week, all we kept hearing was that Fresno State is the fourth seed. It seemed like it was being rubbed in and no one thought we had a chance."We knew it was just a number. We did beat these guys before, and we came out with a great game plan and executed it."Fresno State jumped on Long Beach State early, building a 3-0 lead after 21/2 innings and putting the game away with three runs in the seventh.Dirt Bags ace Andrew Liebel labored through 7 2/3 innings, with his breaking ball -- typically his finishing pitch -- off target."My breaking ball wasn't good," said Liebel, who gave up seven runs on nine hits and two walks. "They did a good job of hitting my mistakes."And with Wilson in control of his fastball and mixing in deceptive offspeed pitches, Long Beach State looked flustered, failing to advance runners and taking what Dirt Bags coach Mike Weathers called "really bad at-bats."The victory marks the third straight year Fresno State (38-27) has won its first game of the NCAA Tournament and sets up a matchup against a familiar postseason foe: No. 2 San Diego (42-15). Last year, Fresno State upset San Diego in the first game of the NCAA Tournament. And in 2006, the Bulldogs beat the Toreros twice in the NCAA Tournament.The two will play tonight at 6 p.m., with Clayton Allison (2-5, 4.17 ERA) taking the mound for Fresno State and lefty Josh Romanski (9-0, 3.76) going for San Diego."It's like we're always running into them," Susdorf said. "It gives you a little bit of confidence [having beaten San Diego], but it ultimately doesn't matter. It's another game."A new plot also has been added to the Fresno State-San Diego rivalry, with brothers Danny and Kevin Muno in different dugouts.Danny is the leadoff hitter and shortstop for Fresno State. Kevin is San Diego's leadoff hitter and left fielder."It's bragging rights and our tournament life on the line," Danny said. "We both knew it'd come to this at some point when I committed to Fresno State and he was already at San Diego."The Bulldogs could be without starting third baseman Tommy Mendonca, who was removed in the bottom of the third inning after he jumped then landed awkwardly on his throwing hand trying to field a chopper.Mendonca, who underwent X-rays late Friday, said he dislocated four fingers of his right hand. His availability will be a game-time decision."Once the swelling comes and goes," Mendonca said, "I'll have a better clue."Gavin Hedstrom moved from center field to third base in Mendonca's absence and freshman Trent Soares came off the bench to man center.After the game, Wetzel warned teammates not to get too caught up about winning the opening game."I want to say I'm on Cloud Nine," Wetzel said. "I'm also aware that we've won the first game the past two years and didn't move on."*San Diego 5, Cal 0: The second-seeded Toreros blanked the third-seeded Bears as Brian Matusz went the distance and struck out 10. LONG BEACH -- Behind the fence along the left-field line at Blair Field and in the Fresno State bullpen, there sat the Bulldogs' wish.He wore a warm-up jacket and his hat was slanted slightly to the right with his eyes locked on the action, as if he were ready to play. But Bulldogs ace Tanner Scheppers remains injured -- not even listed on the 25-man roster for regional play.But, oh, how Bulldogs coach Mike Batesole wishes he could have had a healthy Scheppers to start Sunday in the NCAA Tournament.Instead, the Bulldogs trotted out Justin Miller.Other ineffective arms would follow.And it added up to a disastrous showing as Fresno State lost for the first time at the Long Beach Regional with a 15-1 rout by San Diego.Fresno State (39-28), which is the No. 4 seed, missed its chance to close out the regional Sunday night and now will play No. 2 San Diego (44-16) again at 6 p.m. today to conclude the double-elimination round.The winner advances to the Super Regional to play Arizona State, the Tempe Regional winner."We've been on a pretty good run where we had to win," Batesole said. "And tonight, we didn't. I thought we were ready to play. Then you walk 11 guys, it takes a little air out."For four weeks, Fresno State has gotten by without Scheppers -- most notably winning the Western Athletic Conference tournament and starting the NCAA Tournament with two wins.But Sunday served as reminder just how much Fresno State misses its ace. Four Bulldogs issued 11 walks and gave up 13 hits to lose for the first time in five postseason games against the Toreros.Unable to throw his slider for strikes or locate his fastball, Miller loaded the bases four separate times before he was removed after 22/3 innings. He gave up six runs on five hits, six walks and two hit batsmen."[Scheppers] certainly would have made a difference," Batesole said with a loud chuckle. "We wouldn't have thrown 200 pitches had he taken the hill."Scheppers, who was the team's leader in almost every statistical pitching category, was diagnosed with a stress fracture of his right shoulder in early May. He could return to pitch if the Bulldogs somehow advanced to the College World Series in two weeks.But with the Bulldogs' pitching depth being tested by the likes of San Diego, two questions arise: Have the Bulldogs run out of bullets and how long can they keep up this run without their ace?Fresno State will turn to junior Holden Sprague (3-2, 3.62 ERA) today, with seniors Brandon Burke and Jason Breckley on first call out of the bullpen.Sprague pitched two innings in relief Friday in Fresno State's 7-3 win against top-seeded Long Beach State and gave up one run on two hits.San Diego, which defeated Long Beach State 5-1 earlier Sunday to play Fresno State in the nightcap, likely will go with lefty Sammy Solis (3-1, 3.89) in its fifth game of the regional.Toreros ace Brian Matusz (12-2, 1.71), who struck out 10 in a nine-inning shutout Friday, is scheduled for a bullpen session today, but coach Rich Hill said Matusz likely would not pitch.Kyle Blair's seven innings of one-run ball also preserved much of the Toreros' bullpen for today. Blair struck out nine and scattered four hits and four walks for one run."That's exactly what the doctor ordered," Hill said. "You want to save your pitchers for the matchup tonight."* San Diego 5, Long Beach State 1: The Toreros survived an elimination game and knocked out the top-seeded Dirt Bags with starting pitcher Ricardo Pecina striking out eight in seven innings.San Diego led 2-1 from the fourth through eighth innings before scoring three run in the top of the ninth. LONG BEACH -- The heartache, the pain, the agony, the defeat.Fresno State had been through such suffering the past two years.But not this time.Not this year -- even if few expected these Bulldogs to come out victorious after entering arguably the most stacked regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament as the No. 4 seed.Fresno State toppled No. 2 San Diego 5-1 on Monday night, with the pitching tandem of Holden Sprague and Brandon Burke silencing the Toreros' offense before blacking out their season.Players rushed the field for a dog-pile celebration and Bulldogs fans -- significantly dwindled since the weekend but just as loud Monday night -- stomped the stands of Blair Field.Fresno State had just ended a two-year curse of losing in the regional championship to advance to the school's first Super Regional."The feeling is just unbelievable," said Burke, one of eight seniors. "It took four years and a lot of hard work, from a lot of people, from a lot of different years. But it feels good to finally get past the regionals."Fresno State last won a regional in 1991 when the NCAA Tournament invited 48 teams instead of 64, and had eight, six-team regionals with no Super Regionals.Fresno State (40-28) is the only No. 4 seed from a region remaining, this done without injured ace pitcher Tanner Scheppers.Fresno State next plays a three-game series starting Saturday at Arizona State (48-11), which went 3-0 in winning the Tempe Regional and is the No. 3 national seed."When this is all said and done, we're going to take a look back and say that it was all pretty spectacular," Bulldogs coach Mike Batesole said. "I'm so proud of them."We've been checking off all of our goals this baseball season, winning the [Western Athletic Conference], the tournament, and now this one."The Bulldogs were the only team not nationally ranked in the Long Beach Regional.But they started the tournament with wins against top-seeded Long Beach State and San Diego to remain in the winner's bracket.But Fresno State's momentum seemed to go away after a 15-1 defeat to San Diego on Sunday.Except, history was on the Bulldogs' side and they got the best of San Diego again.The Bulldogs now have eliminated the Toreros in two of the past three years by winning four out of their past five postseason games."Oh yeah, we believed," outfielder Gavin Hedstrom said. "It's our history with USD. It's always fun to play them."Hedstrom finished 3 for 3 and supplied a two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the fifth to put Fresno State ahead 2-1.Sprague did his part, too.The replacement for Scheppers in the rotation after the ace went down with a stress fracture of his right shoulder a month ago, Sprague came through just long enough to hand the ball over to Burke.Sprague allowed one run on five hits and four walks while dancing in and out of jams and aided by superb defense for 5 1/3 innings.Then Burke took control.The Bulldogs' career saves leader hadn't pitched during the first three days of the regional.And a year ago, he had been battered for five runs on seven hits as Fresno State lost to Cal State-Fullerton 13-2.But Monday, Burke was stellar. He held the Toreros to just one hit and didn't allow a walk in 3 2/3 scoreless innings."Burkie has more saves than anyone in Fresno State history, and we knew when we gave him the ball he'd be lights out." Batesole said. "We knew he'd bring it home."Fresno State took some edge off the drama in the bottom of the eighth by scoring three runs."They're very tough," San Diego coach Rich Hill said. "They grind out at-bats. They're excellent on the mound. They play with a passion and a little bit of a swagger."It really shows with the product they put on the field. They're going to have a great run in the postseason." TEMPE, Ariz. -- Pick a hit. Any hit. It all seemed equally devastating, all a blur, and left Fresno State shell-shocked too long and too far behind to be competitive in its first Super Regional.Arizona State lived up to its reputation in beating Fresno State 12-4 to take the first game of a best-of-three series Saturday before a boisterous sell-out crowd at Packard Stadium.The nation's No. 3 seed with arguably the most potent offense in the country, Arizona State kept the action coming throughout the night with home runs and a string of singles for a total of 15 hits, and made Fresno State pay for each mistake committed."We need to play better catch and not worry about who we're playing," second baseman Erik Wetzel said. "I think some guys were caught up in how big and tall ASU was, and how hard they could hit the ball."You've just got to play baseball. You're not playing them. All you can do is play the game as best as you can and see what comes out of it."Fresno State will send senior Clayton Allison (3-5, 3.74) to the mound today to save its season. Allison is coming off his best performance of the year after throwing a five-hit shutout in a 6-0 win against San Diego last week.But it was Saturday's starter, left-hander Justin Wilson, who was supposed to provide Fresno State its best chance of knocking off the Sun Devils and their left-handed oriented lineup.Instead, the Bulldogs' defense failed them, committing four errors, and Wilson suffered, torched for eight runs (six earned) on nine hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings. "Giving up four-out innings in this ballpark, you're just asking for trouble," Fresno State coach Mike Batesole said.The majority of Wilson's and the Bulldogs' problems occurred in the fifth, when the Sun Devils scored five runs off seven hits.Arizona State (49-11), which had pulled ahead 3-1 after a two-run homer from Ryan Sontag in the third, extended its lead to 4-1 when Ike Davis drove in a run with a bases-loaded single with one out on a hanging curveball.Arizona State then added two more runs after Petey Paramore hit a single up the middle. The ball appeared to be rolling toward Wetzel, who was about to begin a double-play attempt that could have gotten the Bulldogs out of the inning.But just as the ball came within Wetzel's reach, it took a wild bounce over the second baseman where the infield dirt reaches the outfield grass and allowed two runs to cross.Arizona State then moved ahead 7-1 after an RBI single from Kiel Roling, which was the fifth straight single Wilson allowed and prompted his removal."It's a frustrating day," outfielder Steve Susdorf said. "ASU is a great ballclub. You make mistakes and they're going to make you pay. That's exactly what happened today."Every mistake we made, they ended up making a key hit, a key RBI. We've got to play better."Fresno State (40-29) can take little solace from Saturday, committing baseball's three sins in one game with a powerless offense, shoddy defense and poor pitching.And any momentum the Bulldogs had going into the Super Regional after winning their first regional championship in three straight tries appears to be waning, if not already gone.In addition to the four errors, Fresno State issued three walks after focusing all week on limiting the damage Arizona State is known for causing in the hitter's ballpark.The Sun Devils, considered a strong candidate to win the College World Series, entered Saturday ranked fourth in the nation in runs and average."Against these guys, you just have to attack the zone," Wilson said. "Keep throwing strikes and see what happens."This game's over when we get off this bus. We've got a great pitcher going [today]."Fresno State did have the lead, though only for a brief while.Susdorf hit a stand-up triple that drove in Wetzel as the Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead after the first inning. But Arizona State starting pitcher Mike Leake went on to retire 10 straight batters. TEMPE, Ariz. -- Gavin Hedstrom gave it all he had.Brandon Burke took a different approach and eased up.Together, with Hedstrom's swing at the plate and Burke's calm demeanor on the mound, Fresno State lived to play another day after evening the best-of-three Super Regional series against No. 3 national seed Arizona State with a nail-biting 8-6 victory Sunday at Packard Stadium.Hedstrom hit a grand slam that jolted life back in Fresno State's season, and Burke kept hearts beating with an eventful ninth but kept Arizona State's high-powered offense scoreless for 3 2/3 innings.Fresno State (41-29) and Arizona State (49-12) will play an elimination game at 4 p.m. today, with the winner advancing to the College World Series."I've never been involved in a game like this," Fresno State outfielder Steve Detwiler said. "There's no words to describe it -- just so much emotion."Arizona State is an amazing team. But we played our A game. And we get to play again and see where this goes."It almost didn't happen for Fresno State.Burke walked the first two batters to start the ninth, and two batters later and with runners on second and third, up came Arizona State No. 9 hitter Greg Bordes.On most teams and on most nights, a No. 9 hitter would be an Achilles' heel. But Bordes was 3 for 3 with three runs and two RBIs before taking his at-bat in the ninth.Burke fired a fastball, and Bordes swung and missed. On the next pitch, Burke let up an offspeed pitch, and Bordes missed again.Then Burke eased up just a bit more, and Bordes made contact.But it was a shallow popup to center field, and Hedstrom made the catch to end the game."That's the sign of a veteran pitcher," Bulldogs coach Mike Batesole said. "Burke has been through all of that. He's had plenty of clean innings, plenty of messy innings the last four years."And he's settled in when he gets into the situations, what most guys want to do is try harder. And Burke is smart enough and can control his body enough, he keeps trying easier."Hedstrom, however, hadn't been in many situations like the one he faced in the fourth inning.His hands were steady, and his eyes locked in.The bat twirled up, down, left, right and just above the right shoulder -- a sign of nervousness perhaps for most hitters but simply the norm on this at-bat.Hedstrom was in the middle of the most important at-bat of his career.Fresno State was down 5-3 and another Sun Devils rout seemed to be in progress.But the bases were loaded for Fresno State with two outs and the senior faced a 1-2 count against pitcher Stephen Sauer, who was just brought into the game.Then with one violent swing, Hedstrom sent a Sauer curveball soaring through the air -- higher and higher until leaving the yard over the left-center field wall.Hedstrom's grand slam put Fresno State ahead 7-5."In that situation, you can't slow your bat," Hedstrom said. "You've just got to time it right. He threw me a curveball earlier in the count that I was able to see pretty well, and I had decided I wasn't going to hit his fastball."He gave me another curveball and I just waited back and swung. It was by far the most important at-bat of my career and of my life. It's just all surreal."Though Batesole would not name today's starter, his most likely options are Justin Miller, who pitched 1 2/3 innings of relief Saturday, or Holden Sprague, who went 1 1/3 innings Sunday. Sprague gave up three hits and one run."We had to empty the tank to go to [today]," Batesole said. "We'll see who's ready."
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Bulldogs opener a smashing success
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