Riverside—The Fresno State Bulldogs hit three home runs Wednesday afternoon, including a pair by Aaron Arruda, on their way to a 7-5 victory over the Highlanders.
Arruda entered the game with a team-leading 11 long balls and 50 runs batted in. He left the first inning with 12 taters, and 52 RBIs, as his two-run shot over the netting in left center scored Austin Guibor and put Fresno State up 2-0.
The Highlanders got one back in the bottom half of the first, as AJ Sawyer hit a line drive off the right field wall, which bounced past Bulldogs right fielder Jake Stone back towards the infield. By the time Stone caught up with the ball, Sawyer was on third with a stand-up triple. Connor Cannon's sac fly to left made it a 2-1 ballgame.
UC Riverside (16-24) starter Trenton Toplikar retired eight straight at one point, but Jared Akins ended that streak with a one-out double to center in the top of the fourth. A ground out moved Akins up 90 feet, and
two batters later, Zach Ashford singled through the right side to make it 3-1 Bulldogs.
Arruda added to his impressive offensive totals in the top of the fifth, launching his second home run of the day to left field.
UC Riverside cut into the lead once again in the bottom of the inning, as Tony Gudino's double to right center scored Cody Sporrer. In the sixth, Sporrer's single through the left side sliced the lead to two, plating Michael Farris.
Fresno State (23-21) tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh thanks to another home run. This one was struck off the bat of Carter Bins, whose one-out shot to left center just cleared the wall, and the outstretched glove of center fielder Mark Contreras.
The Highlanders had a golden opportunity to close the gap on the Bulldogs in the bottom of the seventh as they put Colby Schultz on third and Sawyer on second with nobody out. Relief pitcher Rickey Ramirez was struggling with his control, and he uncorked a pitch that squirted by the catcher, Bins, towards the Fresno State dugout.
Schultz was late breaking trying to head home, however, causing him to scamper back to third. Unfortunately, the trail runner, Sawyer, didn't realize that Schultz had put on the breaks until it was too late. In the ensuing run downs, Schultz was tagged out, and Sawyer made his way to third. Contreras and Cannon both struck out to end the inning, and the threat.
UC Riverside rallied again the very next inning, this time pushing a run across the plate thanks to a Yeager Taylor single to right which scored Matt Hardy.
Both teams scored single runs in the ninth, as Edgar Gonzalez picked up his fifth save of the season.
Toplikar took the loss, falling to 2-2, while JJ Santa Cruz (3-1) picked up the win.
The Highlanders travel to Utah early tomorrow morning to begin a three-game series with the Utes. Thursday's first pitch is scheduled for 6 pm PT.
