Courtesy of Fresno State Athletics
MESA, Ariz. – The Fresno State baseball team claimed its second straight Mountain West title on Saturday with a 9-1 victory over San Jose State at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona.
Fresno State Murf Gray was named tournament MVP for the second straight season and is joined on the all-tournament team by Bryce Armstrong, Sky Collins and Lee Trevino.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bulldogs wasted no time getting a head start over the Spartans. Griffen Sotomayor led off for Fresno State with a double to the left field corner and was sent home by a double by Bobby Blandford. Lee Trevino hit a dribbler up the middle that sent Blandford home and gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
Eddie Saldivar’s second home run of the season flew over the wall in right field in the third inning, padding the Bulldog lead to 3-0.
Starting pitcher Bryce Armstrong held the Spartans hitless through the first three innings, knocking San Jose State down in order each time before they eventually hit a double to the left corner.
The Bulldogs strung together four hits in the fourth inning to tack on four more runs, highlighted by a double from Eddie Saldivar and a three-run bomb from Murf Gray. Fresno continued to widen the gap in the next frame as Trevino led off with a single and was scored by Cam Schneider. Sotomayor earned his second RBI of the day, singling to score Schnider and extending the lead to 9-0.
San Jose State finally broke through offensively after a five-inning drought, with a hot shot to Eddie Saldivar that scored one.
Fresno State’s pitching staff shut the Spartans down for the final three innings, knocking them down in order each time to secure the 9-1 victory and a tournament sweep to earn the title.
NOTES:
- The Bulldog pitching staff retired the Spartans in order in six innings.
- Fresno State won the tournament in a clean sweep for the first time since 2019.
- The Bulldogs own an 18-12 record in MW Championship games since joining the conference in 2013.
- The Spartans have appeared in four straight MW Championship title games, and the Bulldogs have defeated them in two of them.
- Murf Gray is the first Bulldog to be named MW Championship MVP in back-to-back years, and the first to be named to the All-Tournament team twice.
UP NEXT
The Diamond ‘Dogs will await Monday’s announcement of where they will be headed for the NCAA Regionals. The selection show can be watched on Monday on ESPN2 at 9 a.m. PT.
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