Matadors Fall Short at Fresno State

FRESNO, Calif.---CSUN Baseball (17-23) fell to Fresno State 8-2 in a non-conference game on Tuesday evening at Bob Bennett Stadium. Alvaro Rubalcaba finished 3-for-5 with a run scored while Brandon Bohning went 2-for-5 with an RBI. The Matadors were retired in order just twice on the day but the Bulldogs turned away nearly every threat as CSUN left 16 runners on base.

Making his first career start with the Matadors, Cayce Rocco had a difficult time early cooling off the Bulldog bats. Korby Batesole gave Fresno State a 1-0 lead on a one-out solo home run. Rocco faced further trouble in the inning as the Bulldogs threatened with two runners on base and one out, but the left hander retired the next two batters in order.

The Bulldogs leaned on the long ball in the second inning as well. Zach Presno hit a one-out double in the frame and Nate Thimjon followed with a two-run home run to center field. Thimjon would add to the lead in the third inning with a sacrifice fly.

In the fourth, Jeremiah Burks hit Fresno State's third home run of the day, a two-run shot, that pushed the lead to 6-0.

On the flip side, the Matadors put up just a pair of tallies on the scoreboard despite threatening throughout the evening. In the second, the Matadors had runners at the corners with one out, however the next two batters struck out to end the frame. CSUN loaded the bases with two outs in the third before reliever Jamison Hill entered the game and forced Nolan Bumstead to hit into a fielder's choice to end the frame.

CSUN finally broke into the scoring column in the top of the fifth. Back-to-back singles from Rubalcaba and Bohning began the frame and Trevor Casanova followed with a walk to load the bases. Albee Weiss came to the plate next and hit a groundball to the left side, scoring Rubalcaba. The Matadors though were turned back from scoring more runs after Justin Toerner and Bumstead grounded out.

The Matadors capitalized on a Bulldog miscue in the sixth to inch closer. Kevin Riley reached to start the inning on a fielding error from Burks at second base. Three batters later, Rubalcaba kept the inning alive with a two-out single. Bohning would come through with a single of his own to drive home Riley. CSUN eventually loaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate but Weiss fouled out to left field.

Fresno State added insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings to push the lead back to six runs (8-2). Zach Ashford deposited a two-out RBI double in the seventh while Burks scored via a wild pitch an inning later.

CSUN mounted one last rally in the top of the ninth as the Matadors loaded the bases yet again with two outs, however Rubalcaba struck out to end the game.

Out of the bullpen, Hayden Shenefield and Andrew Weston worked shutout innings. Tei Vanderford struck out two batters in the seventh but surrendered a run while Wesley Moore gave up a run in his inning of work in the eighth.

Reaching base four times on the day, Casanova extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the eighth inning. Bohning notched his 10th multiple-hit game in his first career appearance in the leadoff spot.

The Matadors continue their seven-game road trip this weekend with a series at Hawai'i. First pitch for the series opener on Friday is set for 9:35 p.m. (PT).

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Team Stats

Alvaro Rubalcaba

Brandon Bohning

Trevor Casanova

Albee Weiss

Players Mentioned

Brandon Bohning

Nolan Bumstead

Trevor Casanova

Wesley Moore

Kevin Riley

Cayce Rocco

Alvaro Rubalcaba

Hayden Shenefield

Justin Toerner

Tei Vanderford

Albee Weiss

Andrew Weston