WAC BASEBALL
Fresno State cruises to title game
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
FRESNO, Calif. — No. 21 Fresno State ho-hummed its way to today's championship game of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament with a 15-3 romp of Nevada in a winners' bracket game yesterday.
Loren Storey, Ozzie Lewis and Tom Sandell banged home runs as part of the Bulldogs' 18-hit attack against the Wolf Pack (26-27), who saw their nine-game win streak snapped.
Andy Underwood (11-3) allowed three runs, scattering 10 hits and two walks in seven innings for the Bulldogs (42-16), winners of 14 in a row. He had six strikeouts.
Holden Sprague added two scoreless innings, giving up two hits.
Nevada took a 1-0 lead in the first, only to see it disappear on Storey's three-run homer in top of the second. The Wolf Pack tied it with two in the third. But Lewis untied it with a solo homer in the fifth and the Bulldogs never looked back.
Travis Sutton (5-4) took the brunt of the Bulldogs' wrath, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) in 6 1/3 innings.
Fresno State started the game without shortstop Christian Vitters, the WAC's Player of the Year, because of a left thumb injury sustained Friday when he was hit by a pitch against Nevada.
The Bulldogs are also without all-WAC third baseman Beau Mills, who was suspended for the rest of the season for academic reasons, The Fresno Bee reported.
Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.