By Al Scott
Last season, the Diamond ‘Dogs faced Cal State Bakersfield twice and lost both times. 20125 would be a different story.
The Bulldogs obliterated the Roadrunners on Tuesday night at Bob Bennett Stadium with a 17-1 shellacking, including five home runs. Every starter in Fresno State’s lineup had a base knock, 20 total for the team.
This completes the season sweep over CSUB after defeating them 17-8 on March 18. With the win, Fresno State is back to .500 with a 24-24 record in 2025.
Catcher Justin Stransky led the way going 3-for-4, with three runs scored and a pair of homers as he drove in four runs. He is now hitting .321 with nine home runs with 36 RBI on the season, to go along with 10 stolen bases.
“We had a rough weekend in Nevada,” Stranksy said. “Knowing that we got to protect our turf…that’s the kind of mentality that we took and definitely let some frustrations out.”
The Bulldogs are coming off being swept on the road in Reno. Head Coach Ryan Overland was pleased with how his team responded.
“It’s good to bounce back,” Overland said. “To come out and swing the bats like we did tonight. Like we told the team, there’s about 250 teams in the country that would like to be where we’re at.”
Stransky said that ‘saving runs’ was not a topic of discussion and carrying the momentum into the upcoming homestand would be crucial.
What happened
After a scoreless first inning from Cooper Bergman, the Bulldogs jumped out to four quick runs in the bottom half of the frame. Griffin led off with a solo homer over the center field wall. Three batters later, Stransky singled in Bobby Blandford. Cam Schneider followed with a two-run double down the left field line.
Bakersfield used a double from Noah Alvarez and a pair of outs to get on the scoreboard. Fresno State answered back in the home half, with RBI doubles from Murf Gray and Blandford. Stransky capped off the five-run inning with a two-run, opposite field home run.
The Bulldogs homered three more times in the third inning, off the bats of Eddie Saldivar, Blandford and Stransky as they extended the team lead to 14-1.
Stransky was recently named to the Buster Posey Award watchlist, given to the best catcher in college baseball.
The Washington native said that while his focus is on winning and the team, he was pretty ‘stoked.’
His coach stressed the importance that he’s played for the team in an all-around capacity.
“He’s caught about 95% of the innings, hitting in the middle of the order,” Overland said. “It’s a different deal to have the gear on and catching pitches, blocking balls, and still taking good at bats and driving in runs and doing stuff on the base paths. He’s had a pretty special year.”
It was especially nice for Saldivar, who left the yard for the first time this season after hitting seven a year ago.
“It was a nice reminder [for Eddie] that he can get it over the fence,” Overland said.
Saldivar added another run for the ‘Dogs in the fourth inning with an RBI double to left. Sky Collins made it 16-1 in the fifth with an RBI double of his own. He finished the day going 2-for-5 with three RBI.
Blandford also drove in three runs. The Bulldog right fielder is now hitting .310 with eight homers and 36 RBI this season.
The bullpen was excellent for the ‘Dogs. BJ Rodriguez threw three scoreless innings in relief for the Bulldogs, striking out five without allowing a hit.
“I think he’s going to get some really big outs for us down the stretch,” Overland said.
Vance Haskins, Garrett Sinfield, Jared Galang and JT Guerrero combined to throw four scoreless frames out of the ‘pen.
What’s next
The Bulldogs are set to host the San Jose State Spartans this weekend for a three-game set, the final home conference series of the season for the Bulldogs. First pitch on Friday is set for 6:05 p.m. with Jack Anker on the mound, in what may be his last start at home. It will also be senior weekend as the team is set to honor its soon to be graduates.
Fresno State is currently in a three-way tie with New Mexico and Nevada for first place in the Mountain West Conference (15-9). The ‘Dogs will play the Lobos at Albuquerque to finish the regular season May 15-17.
Finishing with a top two seed in the conference would secure a first round for the Bulldogs during the conference tournament, one that they won last season to become conference champs.
“It was brought up at the first team meeting back in August. Ultimately to set ourselves up to get the best chance to win this tournament,” Overland said.
Cover photo by Miguel Cardenas.