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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A Fresno State team that struggled to make it to the College World Series rewarded itself with an easy win in its first game here.
Danny Muno, Alan Ahmady and Jordan Ribera launched three-run homers and the Bulldogs’ amazing postseason run continued Sunday with a stunning 17-5 victory over Rice.
The Bulldogs – the ultimate underdogs as the first No. 4 regional seed to reach Omaha – broke open the game against their one-time Western Athletic Conference nemesis with a seven-run fourth inning.
They didn’t stop there, rolling up the highest number of runs allowed by Rice this season on their way to their 12th win in 14 games.
If folks in college baseball still don’t believe in the Bulldogs, that’s fine with them.
“That has been a big part of what has gotten us this far,” center fielder Gavin Hedstrom said. “We like proving we’re better than people say we are.”
Fresno overcame an 8-12 start and a long road through the NCAA tournament to win a CWS bid for the first time since 1991. The Bulldogs won a tough regional at Long Beach State and a three-game super regional at No. 3 national seed Arizona State.
They’ve done it without top pitcher Tanner Scheppers, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ second-round draft pick who has been out since May with a shoulder injury.
None of that matters now that the Bulldogs are here. They showed Sunday that they belong among the final eight teams after scoring the most runs in a CWS game since Tennessee beat Georgia 19-12 in 2001.
Fresno (43-29) will play Tuesday night against the winner of Sunday night’s LSU-North Carolina game. Rice (47-14) meets the LSU-North Carolina loser that afternoon.
“These guys have been through an awful lot, and each week and each game they’ve felt better about themselves,” Fresno coach Mike Batesole said. “Coming out and doing what they did today against a really good team and a really good pitcher should help us Tuesday.”