Fresno State 12, Arizona State 9 (Super Regional Championship Game)
Fresno State exploded for six runs in the seventh inning, helping the Bulldogs to a 12-9 win over third-ranked
Arizona State and a Super Regional title Monday night at Packard Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. The Bulldogs
become the first four-seed to ever advance to the eight-team field at the College World Series in Omaha,
Nebraska.
After four straight weeks on the road, the Fresno State baseball team wasn't ready to let their road trip come
to a halt.
Next stop: Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium and the 2008 College World Series.
Fresno State got timely hitting against No. 3 Arizona State and battered the Sun Devil pitching staff for 17
hits in a 12-9 victory at Packard Stadium. It marked the second straight night the Dogs beat the Sun Devils,
who finish the season with a 39-5 home record, 49-13 overall.
After the Sun Devils jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first, Fresno State answered with three runs in the second.
The Bulldogs would continue to answer all night long. Arizona State took a 5-4 lead into the sixth inning and
the Dogs tied it and then exploded for six runs in the seventh to take an 11-5 lead. After scoring once more
in the ninth for a 12-5 lead, the Dogs held off a late rally to earn a 12-9 win and Fresno State's first College
World Series appearance since 1991.
Fresno State will play No. 6 seed Rice in the first round on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT. That game will be on ESPN.
The College World Series runs June 14-24 in Omaha.
Fresno State 8, Arizona State 6 (Super Regional Game 2)
Fresno State has forced a decisive game three at the NCAA Super Regional after defeating Arizona State
8-6 on Sunday night in front of an over-capacity crowd of 4,423 at Packard Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
Fresno State took the early lead with a two-run home run by Steve Detwiler in the bottom of the second off
ASU starting pitcher Josh Satow, but the Sun Devils quickly rallied back with three runs in the top of the third.
Greg Bordes drove in two runs with a triple to right center and Jason Kipnis had an RBI single to put ASU in
front, but the Devils missed a chance to add more in the inning, after loading the bases with one out.
ASU scored twice more in the fourth, with an RBI single by Ryan Sontag and a sacrifice fly by Brett Wallace,
but the Sun Devils again left two runners on in the inning.
Fresno State then delivered the crushing blow with five runs in the bottom of the inning, all coming with two
outs. Danny Grubb had an RBI single off Satow, who was replaced by Stephen Sauer with the bases loaded,
and Gavin Hedstrom, the first batter Sauer faced, then hit a grand slam to left center to give the Bulldogs a
lead they would never relinquish.
With the Bulldogs leading 7-6, Brandon Burke pitched the final 3.2 innings without giving up a run. Burke tallied
four strikeouts and gave up only two hits.
Monday's game is set for 4 p.m. PT. The winner earns a berth into the 2008 College World Series.
Arizona State 12, Fresno State 4 (Super Regional 1)
No. 3 Arizona State looked as good as advertised and the Fresno State Bulldogs will have their backs against
the wall as the Sun Devils took a 12-4 win in game on Saturday night.
Steve Susdorf led the Bulldog effort with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, including a run scored and an RBI.
Susdorf accounted for three of Fresno State’s eight hits in the game. Arizona State’s Ryan Sontag led the
Devils with a pair of home runs and four RBI.
The Sun Devils (49-12) are looking for their second straight trip to the College World Series and played their
40th home game this season getting a 12-4 win over the Dogs.
ASU, one of the highest scoring teams in the NCAA, swept through the Tempe Regional last weekend by
averaging 12 runs per game with wins over Stony Brook and twice beat Oklahoma. ASU has won 12 of its
last 14 games and had 15 of the 25 players on the NCAA tournament roster drafted this week.
The Bulldogs (40-29) entered the game with an impressive winning trend that included wins in nine of their last
10 games, and a terrific showing in the Long Beach Regional. Fresno State beat No. 11 Long Beach State and
No. 6 San Diego twice to advance to the Super Regional round.
This was the first meeting between the two schools since the 1998 season and second time they have met in the
NCAA tournament. A capacity crowd of 4,371 packed Packard Stadium on the ASU campus.
Fresno State is just the second No. 4 seed to advance to a Super Regional round, and the only one remaining
of the 16 teams in the 2008 NCAA tournament field.
Fresno State and Arizona State will meet again Sunday at 7 p.m. in the second game of the three-game
series. The game will be live on ESPN2. The winner of the series earns an automatic berth into the College
World Series in Omaha June 15-14.