Fresno State loses twice to exit Mountain West baseball tournament

The Fresno State Bulldogs were forced to take the long way around, flummoxed by New Mexico left-hander Carson Schneider in a 9-1 loss in the first of two games they would play on Saturday at the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

Once on that road, playing elimination games, they got some huge performances from Will Munro, from Nick Warren, from Garrett Mundell, against San Diego State and they battled into extra innings. But they never could get control in a back-and-forth matchup — or back to the level they had played the final three weeks of the regular season or their first two tournament games at Peccole Park in victories over UNLV and the Aztecs.

And after starting the day one victory away from playing for the conference baseball championship and the automatic berth into an NCAA regional that goes along with it, the Bulldogs were sent packing with a 7-6 loss in 10 innings following that loss to the Lobos.

“We played two pretty good ball games. Played hard both games. That was two good teams going at it right there,” coach Mike Batesole said.

The Bulldogs no doubt did play well. But up against it, missed opportunities cost them.

The 10th inning provided a perfect example. The Bulldogs had tied the score at 6 in the ninth when Warren came off the bench with two outs and delivered an RBI single. But Fresno State got nothing in the 10th with the top of the lineup — Taylor Tempel, Austin Guibor and Taylor Ward, a combined 6 for 12 through nine innings, going down in order.

Mundell had entered with two outs in the fifth inning and was there in the 10th after working more than three innings in a game just twice since March 15.

He walked leadoff hitter Andrew Brown. Justin Wylie then failed to get a sacrifice bunt down on the first pitch he saw from Mundell, then took a called strike when not squaring. On the third pitch of the at-bat, he chopped a ball to the first-base side of the mound and Mundell got there in plenty of time to get the lead runner. But he hesitated, and from an awkward position floated a throw toward second.

Both runners were safe. The Aztecs then bunted both runners up a base and with runners at second and third, Batesole had center fielder Brody Russell move in and positioned in front of second base, playing five infielders.

Mundell got the desired ground ball from Chase Calabuig, right to Russell. But the center fielder threw high and to the first-base side of the plate.

Ward couldn’t come up with the ball, but needing to get a tag on Brown it would have to have been a perfect throw to cut down the winning run.

The Bulldogs could have walked Calabuig to load the bases and set up a force play, but, as Batesole pointed out, the defense was in position.

“There are a lot of ways to think about it,” he said.

To that point, the Bulldogs scrapped. They led 1-0, were down 2-1, led 4-2, were tied at 4, went up 5-4 then were tied at 5, were down 6-5 and came back to tie the score.

Munro, starting only because Tim Borst was sick and sent back to the team hotel, gave them 41/3 innings, allowing three hits and three runs and left with a lead. The 41/3 innings matched a season-high set March 27 at New Mexico and since then he had pitched only six times and a total of 8 1/3 innings.

“That changed things, but Munro, give him credit. He took the ball and ran with it. He had to get four outs twice. That’s a tough way to do it. But he kept us in the game and left with the lead,” Batesole said.

Warren had just one at-bat since May 2, coming in the Bulldogs’ victory over the Aztecs in their second game of the tournament, and was without a hit since April 26. But he tied the score in the ninth, punching a RBI single through the middle against C.J. Saylor.

But the Bulldogs couldn’t stay on top of the Aztecs, who advanced to the championship against New Mexico.

Fresno State left 12 runners on base, committed three errors and missed a chance to extend its lead in the seventh when Manny Argomaniz reached on an error and Kenny Corey put down a sacrifice bunt and also reached on an error.

With runners at first and second and no outs, the Bulldogs could not add on.

Frustrating loss to New Mexico

The Bulldogs were beaten in their first game by New Mexico left-hander Carson Schneider, who moved the ball around, changed speeds and was tantalizingly close to the strike zone while never getting too much of it.

The Bulldogs managed just four hits in 71/3 innings against Schneider, the first two a grounder off the bat of Taylor Ward that made it through to left field in the first inning and the other an infield single by Austin Guibor with two outs in the sixth. In between, Schneider allowed only one base runner, Aaron Arruda reaching on a walk in the second.

Schneider, who came in with an ERA of 4.01, retired 13 consecutive batters at one point. The Bulldogs’ third and fourth hits came in the eighth, a single through the middle by Brody Russell and a single to right by Jesse Medrano. Fresno State scored its only run in that inning on a RBI double by Austin Guibor against right-hander Jake Cole.

More, obviously, was needed against the Lobos, who won their first two games of the tournament by the 10-run rule. They beat Air Force 13-1 in their first game then top-seed and tournament host Nevada 14-4.

Redshirt freshman Anthony Arias did something the Falcons and Wolf Pack couldn’t — he held New Mexico scoreless in two innings; the Lobos had scored at least one run in 11 of their first 13 innings they came to bat in the tournament.

But every mistake hurt. New Mexico, the No. 4 seed, scored a run in the first inning on a wild pitch and in the second Carl Stajduhar hit the first of his two home runs leading off an inning. He also hit one leading off the sixth.

Stajduhar went 3 for 3 with the two home runs, two walks and drove in three runs. Lane Milligan also hit a home run for hte Lobos, a two-run shot against Arias in the seventh.

This story was originally published May 23, 2015 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Fresno State loses twice to exit Mountain West baseball tournament."