ATHERTON, CA – Menlo Baseball put on a show in game one of their final home doubleheader of the PacWest season against Fresno Pacific University, storming to a commanding 16-6 victory and invoking the run rule after eight innings. In game two, the tide turned as the Sunbirds tightened up their defense and pitching, edging out the Oaks 1-5 in a low-scoring affair.
Standout Performers for Menlo
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Bradley Morris: 4-8, 6 RBI, 1 run scored, 2 doubles, a grand slam in Game 1
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Justin Flannery: 4-8, 4 RBI, 3 walks, 3 runs scored, a double
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Braydon Allie: 3-8, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored
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Matt Morrison: 2-6, 2 RBI, 1 run scored, a double
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Chase Hilde: 3-5, 3 runs scored, a walk
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Zach Dyer: 1-7, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, a walk
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Jaden Fulsher: 0-5, 1 RBI, 3 runs scored, 2 walks, a stolen base
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Ramone Valenzuela: 1-4, 2 runs scored, a walk
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Nolan Rodriguez: 6.2 IP, 4 K, 1 BB, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER (Game 1)
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Richard Kiel: 7.0 IP, 5 K, 1 BB, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER
Game One: Fresno Pacific 6, Menlo 16
After giving up two early runs, the Oaks responded with relentless offensive pressure. The first inning saw some base running action as Justin Flannery led off with a single to third base. Braydon Allie followed with a single to left center to put two on for Matt Morrison. A hardly-hit ball to the Sunbirds shortstop drew an error which ended up scoring Flannery for the first Oak run of the day. Despite trailing 3-1 into the sixth, Menlo went on a rally fueled by aggressive base running after the Fresno catcher over-threw the ball back to their pitcher. With no one covering second base, the Oaks saw the green light to score one. Bradley Morris capitalized on his next at-bat with a double down the left field line to score Jaden Fulsher and tie the ballgame.
The real breakthrough came in the seventh, when the Oaks strung together four hits and took advantage of wild pitches and fielding mistakes. Even after giving up two runs in the top of the seventh, Menlo came back and tallied 4 hits, including RBIs from Justin Flannery and Braydon Allie, before the Sunbirds decided to replace their pitcher. Two more runs were tagged on with a sacrifice fly from Matt Morrison and an error from their centerfielder, scoring Jake Warkentien. From there, Menlo exploded in the bottom of the eighth with 9 runs on 6 hits, highlighted by a towering grand slam from Bradley Morris that effectively ended the contest under the run rule. Every starter reached base at least once as the offense pounded out 17 hits across game one.
Nolan Rodriguez started on the mound for the Oaks in Game one and did a steady job earning fly balls and groundouts. He also tallied four strikeouts on the 6.2 innings pitched and only walked one batter. Across 9 hits, the Sunbirds scored 5 runs, only 4 being earned runs. Matthew Verdugo, who got the win in this ballgame, pitched for 0.1 innings to get the final out before Anthony Tellez closed out the final inning.
Game Two: Fresno Pacific 5, Menlo 1
The second game saw a much tighter contest in a pitcher's duel. Menlo scored early in the second inning, thanks to a Jaden Fulsher single then stolen base. Bradley Morris' RBI double down the left line traded places and scored Fulsher to put the Oaks on the board first. But the bats went cold from there as Fresno Pacific capitalized on defensive miscues and steady offense in the late innings, scoring four unanswered runs after the sixth.
Despite strong plate discipline from Flannery and Allie, and another hit from Dyer, Menlo struggled to generate rallies and left several runners stranded. The Oaks were ultimately held to just two hits in the game, as the Sunbirds claimed the split.Graduate student Richard Kiel pitched his fourth complete game of the season and earned five strikeouts across the 7.0 innings. He only walked one batter and totaled 9 hits, 5 runs, with 4 being earned.
Up Next….
The Oaks will take the weekend off and return on Monday, April 28th in Fresno, CA at Dan Martin Stadium to complete their PacWest series with the Sunbirds with a doubleheader starting at 12pm.
