March 26, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State baseball team hosts the Lipscomb Bisons for a four-game series starting March 27 at 6:05. The Bulldogs will continue the weekend with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 28 at 2:05 and wrap-up the series on Sunday March 29 at 1:05.

This is the first meeting between the Bisons of Lipscomb and the Bulldogs. Last year, the defending Atlantic Sun Conference champions faced a team that Fresno State is familiar with in the Georgia Bulldogs. The Bisons played Georgia in the Athens regional and beat Georgia in one game before being knocked out of the tournament.

About the Bisons
Lipscomb is 11-10 on the season and swept Stetson last weekend, 12-5, 7-6 and 3-1 in a three-game series. Justin Sanders is batting .416 with eight doubles, four home runs and 19 RBIs. He leads the team in home runs and RBIs. The team is batting .267 and the Bison pitching staff is throwing an ERA of 5.26. The starting three pitchers have 106 strikeouts in five starts each.

Bulldogs Battle Lions
For the first time since the 2007 season, the Bulldogs were swept in a four-game series. Fresno State fell 8-7, 7-6, 7-3, and 11-7 to Loyola Marymount. The Bulldogs hit six home runs, 12 doubles and 23 RBIs over the weekend. The `Dogs pitching staff threw for a combined 17 strikeouts.

Dynamo Double Play
In 2008 the Bulldogs lead the nation in double plays turned. The `Dogs infield picked up where they left off and turned three double plays against LMU. During the Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic the `Dogs turned nine double plays. Fresno State has turned a total of 16 double plays this season.

`Dogs Throwing K's
The Fresno State pitching staff is throwing a combined 4.22 ERA after 19 games. The `Dogs have thrown a total of 114 strikeouts and allowed on 10 home runs in 166.1 innings.

Home Run Fun
Twice this season the Bulldogs have hit back-to-back home runs. The first was against Buffalo on March 7. Juniors Tom Mendonca and Steve Detwiler hit home runs one after the other. The Bulldogs did it again against LMU, when Detwiler and Jake Johnson both hit long balls.

Hedstrom Swings For the Fences
Senior Gavin Hedstrom hit two home runs last weekend, his second and third of the season. The second baseman's first home run was an inside-the-park home run followed by a home run that cleared the left center wall. He is tied for the second most home runs on the team.

Benny Finds the Zone
In his second start Freshman Derek Benny sat down the LMU batters 1-2-3 two consecutive innings. He sat down seven batters in a row from the bottom of the second inning through the fourth inning. The righty threw a career-high six innings allowing only three runs and striking out four batters. Benny improved to a 4.95 ERA in a total 20 innings of work.

Mendonca Reaches 37 Tom Mendonca hit a pair of home runs against the Ducks and recorded five RBIs. The junior hit his sixth long ball of the season against Buffalo, it was also his first grand slam since last year against New Mexico State. Mendonca hit another two home runs against LMU. He is in fourth on the career home run list with 37 and needs seven more to tie Giuseppe Chiaramonte's record of 43 career home runs.

Take Me Out to the Ball Park
The Bulldogs are averaging 2,296 people at Beiden Field. A total of 27,555 fans have come out to Beiden Field to see the Bulldogs in action. Every home game has had over 2,000 fans and last year the `Dogs only broke the 2,000 mark once at Beiden in 2008. The average attendance at Beiden Field in 2008 was 1,692 and the average attendance is up nearly 600 in 2009.

"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The `Dogs host the Lipscomb Bisons, a 2008 NCAA Tournament qualifier in a four game series March 27-29. The `Dogs and Bisons play a single game Friday at 6:05 pm, a doubleheader Saturday at 2:05 pm and a single game Sunday at 1:05 pm. It's Wells Fargo Take a Kid to a Game Weekend. All youth 8th grade and under receive FREE admission when accompanied by a paid adult all weekend long! All Junior Bulldog Kids Club members can run the bases after the game Sunday afternoon. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Bulldog Ticket Office, calling 278-DOGS or online at gobulldogs.com.