'Cats jump out early, take game one from Fresno State

FRESNO, Calif. – Bash Randle hit a home run and drove in three runs, Grayson Tatrow hit a two-run homer, Adam Stephenson was incredible on the mound, and the ACU baseball team took down Fresno State on the road Thursday night to get the weekend off to a great start, winning 7-2. The Wildcats (17-17) win their second-straight game, and do it by playing one of their more complete games of the season. The team scored six in the top of the first inning, putting the Bulldogs (16-17) in a spot where they had to play catch up the entire night. The combined pitching of Stephenson, Max Huffling, and Tanner Riley limited Fresno State's dynamic offense to six hits, while the impressive ACU offense recorded 13 in the inaugural meeting between the schools.

How It Happened
- ACU came out of the gate strong against Fresno starter Zach Statzer. Mitchell Dickson led the game off with a double into right center, then Tatrow followed that up with his ninth home run of the season to put the 'Cats up 2-0 before fans could get settled in.
- After a one-out Tanner Tweedt single, Randle stepped in and launched a two-run homer of his own to push the lead to 4-0.
- After a first-inning pitching change, the 'Cats had two on with two out. Aaron Staehely stepped up and punched a double down the left field line, driving in Hunter Gieser and Bryson Hill to extend the first-inning lead to 6-0.
- It was a comfy cushion for Stephenson before he even stepped out on the mound. The lefty did give up a solo home run in the bottom of the first and a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth, but that was it. The starter completely kept Fresno State off balance all night.
- Leading 6-2 in the eighth inning, Randle stepped up in an RBI spot, and responded with a sacrifice fly to left field to score Tatrow, and that was all she wrote, with ACU leading 7-2.

Stat Pack
- Stephenson had his longest outing in a Wildcat uniform Thursday night. The southpaw went 6.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts, one shy of his career high.
- Huffling threw 1.1 innings out of the bullpen, giving up just one hit, setting up the closer Riley. Even though it was a non-save spot, the right-hander threw a scoreless ninth to preserve the victory.
- Four Wildcats had a multi-hit night, led by three apiece from Dickson and Tweedt. Both players scored a run in the game as well.
- Tatrow and Staehely each tallied two hits, and both drove in a pair of runs.
- Randle led the 'Cats with three driven in on the night; the home run was his sixth of the season.
- Tatrow's homer was his team-leading ninth in 2022.

Beyond the Box Score
- Randle now has two home runs and eight RBI this week in two games.
- Thursday marked the 19th game this season with 10 or more hits.
- ACU as a team as now hit at least one home run in six of its last seven games.

Up Next
- Game two fo the series begins Friday night at 8:05 p.m. Right-hander Tyler Morgan goes for ACU, and the game will air on the Mountain West Network.

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