FRESNO, Calif. – San Diego State opened its 2024 Mountain West schedule on a sour note Friday, falling to Fresno State by a 12-6 count at Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium.
With intermittent rain falling, the Aztecs were forced to play catch-up for the entire night after Bulldogs built an early insurmountable 8-0 lead, thanks to a seven-run outburst in the second inning.
With the loss, SDSU dropped its third straight, slipping to 3-6 overall (0-1 MW), while the Bulldogs won their second in a row, raising their record to 6-2 on the season (1-0 MW).
Evan Sipe led the Aztecs with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, finishing with two doubles, a pair of RBIs and one run scored, while Finley Bates, Shaun Montoya, Jake Jackson, and Sammy Kahler all singled as well.
After drawing first blood with a sacrifice fly in the first, Fresno State quickly padded its lead in the second, scoring seven runs on five hits, one error and two walks off SDSU starter Chris Canada (0-1).
The Bulldog surge was ignited by Ben Newton and Tyler Davis, who hit consecutive one-out singles and subsequently scored on back-to-back bunt attempts by Michael McKernan and Eddie Saldivar. McKernan reached on a fielder's choice as Newton slid in safely ahead of the throw home, while Saldivar got aboard on an errant throw to first, allowing Davis to cross the plate.
A walk to Tommy Hopfe loaded the bases, while Murf Gray followed with a two-run single to plate McKernan and Saldivar. Moments later, Gray raced home on a double to right center by Rocco Peppi, who promptly scored on Grady Morgan's double, which also brought in Peppi, giving the hosts a commanding 8-0 advantage.
The score remained unchanged until the top of the fifth when Sipe smacked a leadoff double and eventually crossed the plate on Bates' single up the middle.
Fresno State quickly responded with Hopfe's three-run double with two outs in the bottom of the frame, which increased the advantage to 11-1. Lee Trevino got things started with a leadoff single, while Newton was hit by pitch. Shortly thereafter, Aztec reliever Jacob Riordan was close to getting out of the jam after inducing a double-play grounder to third by Davis. However, McKernan was struck by a pitch, while Saldivar reached on an infield single to load the bases, setting the stage for Hopfe's clutch hit.
SDSU narrowed the gap in the eighth, scoring five runs on just two hits and three walks along with a hit batter. With the bases loaded, Jackson reached on a fielder's choice, plating Montoya, who led off with a single after a dropped foul ball, while Colby Turner, who previously drew a walk, moved up to third. Pinch hitter Jacob McCombs was then struck by a pitch from Jaykob Acosta, which reloaded the bases, prompting a bullpen call to Bryce Armstrong.
Moments later, Armstrong issued a walk to Tino Bethancourt before Sipe roped his second double of the game, knocking in Jackson and McCombs. Bethancourt eventually scored on a wild pitch, while Xavier Gonzalez drew a walk, which hastened Armstrong's exit. However, the Aztec rally was quickly extinguished when new reliever Aidan Cremarosa struck out the final two batters in the inning to prevent further damage.
Fresno State rounded out the scoring in the bottom of the frame on back-to-back doubles by Trevino and Newton to account for the 12-6 final.
Bulldog starter Jake Dixon (2-0) earned his second victory of the season after allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out five batters in six innings pitched.
Riordan also fanned five hitters in his six-inning relief stint for the Scarlet and Black but was touched for four runs on seven hits and one walk before yielding to Garvey Rumary with two outs in the eighth.
San Diego State continues its weekend series with Fresno State on Saturday, beginning at 3:05 p.m. PT.
Aztecs Fall to Fresno State in MW Opener, 12-6
