“There’s no room to throw in the towel. There’s 37 guys in this locker room. Everyone has to do their job.”
By Al Scott
Not every win is pretty and that certainly was the case on Thursday night at Pete Beiden Field. The Diamond Dogs blew an early lead but managed to labor through and rally to take down Air Force 9-8, taking game one of the series.
A week after earning National Player of the Week honors for his eight shutout innings, 16-K effort against San Diego State, Fresno State starter Jack Anker (6-3) took the mound and put in what his Head Coach Ryan Overland described as [Anker’s] best start of the year.
“I know it’s crazy to say,” Overland said. “The way he controlled those innings in the fifth, sixth, seventh innings, controlled their running game, a team with over 60 stolen bases, picking and changing his looks and holds and controlling that while executing pitches. That was a big time performance.”
Griffen Sotomayor also homered as part of a 15-hit effort for the Bulldog offense, his fourth long ball of the season. The designated hitter has fallen in love with playing at home.
“It’s really nice showing up every day to the field, knowing the Red Wave is going to support us,” Sotomayor said. “They’re loud and engaged. You show up to some parks and the fans really don’t really know the game that well. Our fans know the game, they love it and support us.”
With the win, Fresno State improves to 18-19 on the season, including 11-5 in conference play, good enough for first place in the Mountain West.
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What Happened
After a scoreless first from Anker, the Bulldogs came out hot with a trio of singles from Owen Faust, Eddie Saldivar and Murf Gray. Following a sacrifice fly from Justin Stransky, Griffin Sotomayor hit a fly ball over the right field wall to give the ‘Dogs a quick 4-0 lead.
The bottom of the first seemed to replicate itself in reverse in the top of the second. The Falcons singled three straight times to open up the frame. A sacrifice fly got the Falcons on the board. Two more singles plus a botched play in center field allowed Air Force to tie the game at 4.
Air Force took the lead in the third with an RBI double from Walker Zapp. Fresno State tied the game the following inning on an RBI double from Faust down the left field line.
The middle innings were quiet. Anker found his groove and was dominant, including striking out four straight batters at one point.
“He moves his fastball around as good as anybody I’ve been around, using all four quadrants and being able to make a pitch in any count,” Overland said.
Anker worked around five runs (four earned) early to keep the Falcons scoreless from the fourth through the seventh inning, finishing with 10 strikeouts on 102 pitches, keeping his team in the game.
“There’s no room to throw in the towel,” Anker said. “There’s 37 guys in this locker room. Everyone has to do their job.”
In his last four starts, Anker has struck out 46 batters across 26 innings, playing a big role in four victories. He credited his recent run to trusting pitching coach Troy Buckley.
“He’s seen this game for a long time now, and just executing, really just making sure that you throw what’s called. When you don’t throw what’s called or you don’t execute, mistakes can be made,” ANker said.
The Bulldogs backed Anker with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead with RBI singles from Sotomayor, Lee Trevino and Cayden Munster. Fresno State added on an insurance run in the eighth on a fielder’s choice which proved to be vital.
The Falcons rallied to score three runs in the ninth inning before JT Guerrero induced a soft fly ball to left fielder Jacob Pappas to end it, sealing Guerrero’s fifth save of the season.
Heroes weekend
While the Bulldogs won on the field, possibly the coolest part of the night came before first pitch. With Air Force in town, Fresno State had twin T-38 aircrafts fly over the field during the national anthem.
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What’s next
The Diamond Dogs host Air Force on Friday night for game two of its only series with the Falcons this season. Aidan Cremarosa is set to take the ball for the Bulldogs. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. from Pete Beiden Field.
Cover photo provided by Fresno State.