Even before the Fresno State (31-25, 16-5) baseball team defeated the Hawai'i (31-22, 9-12) Rainbow Warriors by a 7-5 score in extra innings at Les Murakami Stadium the Bulldogs captured their second consecutive WAC Championship after San Jose State defeated Nevada earlier today by a 17-8 score.
Since joining the WAC in 1993 this Bulldog baseball club is the first team to win back-to-back championships in Fresno State history.
Fresno State will have a No. 1 seed in the WAC tournament held in Reno, Nev. and will face the No. 6 seed at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 24 with a team yet to be determined. Hawai'i and Sacramento State are fighting for the No. 5 seed.
In tonight's action the Bulldogs scored their first run in the top of the first inning when Steve Susdorf, leading the club with a .358 average, knocked in Erik Wetzel with a single to left field at 1-0.
The second run advanced home for the Bulldogs in the top of the second inning when David Hernandez hustled out a tough play scoring Tom Mendonca on heads up running from second base at 2-0.
Picking up the pace before WAC tournament play last year, right fielder Ozzie Lewis put the Bulldogs up by four in the top of the third inning when he hit his seventh home run of the season.
Hawai'i finally got on the board in the bottom of the third inning scoring two runs. The first run came in when Justin Frash hit a ground-rule double to left field scoring Jonathan Hee. The second run came in on a sacrifice fly to left field at 4-2.
Fresno State scored its fifth run of the game in the top of the sixth inning when Loren Storey hit a double to left field bringing in Mendonca from third.
Heading into the bottom of the ninth inning Fresno State held a 5-2 lead but the Rainbow Warriers came charging back scoring three runs to tie the game up at 5-5. With a runner on third with two outs Jason Breckley would get the last batter to ground out.
With two outs recorded in the top of the tenth inning Wetzel started the rally off for the Bulldogs with a single up the middle. In the next at bat Steve Detwiler singled to left field moving Wetzel to second. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch.
KMJ Player of the Game Steve Susdorf brought the winning runs in on a single to center field at 7-5.
In the bottom of the tenth inning Breckley dealt straight heat retiring the side on strikeouts.
Clayton Allison earned the start on the mound for the Bulldogs throwing three innings allowing two runs on four hits. Brandon Burke would relieve Allison and throw five and two-thirds innings allowing just four hits on two runs.
On the night Alan Ahmady, Mendonca and Wetzel went 3-for-5. Ahmady had one double and two singles while Mendonca and Wetzel had three singles.
Series action between both teams will continue tomorrow with a 4:05 p.m. Pacific Time start. Probable pitchers listed are left hander Justin Wilson (7-5, 3.31) for Fresno State and right hander Matt Daly (5-2, 2.67) for Hawai'i.