BAKERSFIELD – CSU Bakersfield pounded out a season-high 15 hits, but miscues on defense and on the bases proved too much to overcome in a 12-5 loss to Fresno State, Tuesday night at Hardt Field in front of a sell out crowd of 897. The Roadrunners lost their second straight game, falling to 3-4, while the Bulldogs improved to 4-4.
"The positive to take away from tonight is our offense took good swings and showed a high level of zone management," said CSUB Head Coach Jeremy Beard. "We battled well, but we put ourselves in an early hole and our defense let us down late in the game."
A first-inning error, plated two runs and gave Fresno State a lead they'd never relinquish. Before the night was over Bakersfield would commit four errors, leading directly to seven unearned Bulldog runs.
Starter Davonte Butler took the loss for CSUB, while Fresno reliever Robbie Peters picked up the win. Peters entered with two runners on and no outs recorded in Bakersfield's three-run fifth inning and retired both. batters he faced.
Bailey Seeger was 4-for-4 to lead the `Runner offense. Aaron Casillas added three hits, including a pair of doubles. Aaron Perez and AJ Miller each had two hits, with Miller connecting for his first home run of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED...
T1 • Fresno State loaded the bases on two singles and an error and struck for a pair of early runs when Andrew Kachel hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield and Tommy Hopfe looped an RBI double down the left-field line.
T2 • Second-baseman Ben Newton plated another Bulldog run with a sharp single to right field. He chased home Bobby Blandford who had led off the inning with a single of his own. FSU made it a two-run inning when first-baseman Ivan Luna laid down a perfectly executed squeeze bunt.
T5 • Fresno's Andrew Kachel connected for a run-scoring single, giving the Bulldogs a 5-0 lead.
B5 • AJ Miller's long solo home run over the right-field fence sparked a three-run Bakersfield rally. Shortstop Aaron Casillas and left-fielder James Bell each followed with RBI singles.
T6 • Blandford's solo home run gave Fresno a 6-3 lead in the top of the sixth.
B6 • Bailey Seeger launched the first pitch he saw into the right-centerfield gap and scored Jashia Morrissey and Miller to pull the Roadrunners within a run at 6-5.
T7 • With two away in the inning designated hitter Tommy Hopfe reached on a hit by pitch and centerfielder Josh Lauck tripled in a pair on the first pitch he saw to stretch the Bulldog lead back to three.
T8 • Nate Thimjon opened the eighth by coming all the way around to score when a pop up was dropped at second base and the subsequent through sailed down the line in left. Newton followed with a bunt single and eventually scored on an RBI ground out by Zach Morgan. Two more runs scored on a bloop single down the line in right field off the bat of pinch hitter Mason Grotto.
NOTABLE...
* Catcher Bailey Seeger has six hits in his last seven at bats and has raised his season average from .125 to .467 over the past two games, while walking once and driving in a pair.
* The bottom five hitters in Bakersfield's batting order finished the game with 10 hits in 20 at bats (.500), including Miller's long home run and a Seeger two-run double. The group scored four times and drove in three.
* CSUB's 15-hit attack was the most for the program since a March 19, 2021 win over UC Riverside.
* Tonight's attendance of 897 marked the 10th largest crowd in program history.
ON DECK...
Bakersfield continues a 12-game when the team hosts the University of Utah for a four-game weekend series at Hardt Field, beginning Friday night at 6:05 p.m. The Utes come to town with a 5-1-1 record in the early going, after battering UNLV, 12-1, Tuesday afternoon.
