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Lackey Hits One To The Moon
Jacklyn Avila
8
Sonoma State SSU 0-1
10
Winner Fresno Pacific FPU 1-0
Sonoma State SSU
0-1
8
Final
10
Fresno Pacific FPU
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Sonoma State SSU 5 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 8 6 2
Fresno Pacific FPU 0 3 5 1 0 1 0 0 X 10 12 3

W: Rumbaugh, Tyler (1-0) L: Robert Towne (0-1) S: Crow, Brady (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Rumbaugh’s Relief, Lackey’s Pop Lead Sunbirds to Season-Opening W

FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific baseball team opened the 2020 season on Friday evening, picking up a come-from-behind 10-8 victory over Sonoma State. Tyler Rumbaugh earned the first win of the season out of the Sunbird bullpen, while sophomore Andrue Lackey hit his first career homer. 
 
QUOTABLE: 
  • "This game says everything about why I love this team. We never felt like we were out of it tonight because the character of our team is so high. We knew when we went to Rumbaugh that everything was going to settle down, and he was the reason we had a chance to win tonight. He pitched exactly the way he has since the middle of last season, and it takes outstanding efforts like that, especially after the way the game started for us. Andrue has come a long way and overcome a lot of adversity, but he's a tough kid and he's going to provide tough at bats. The scary thing about him is that he doesn't know how good he is yet. We're always glad to get the win, but the whole series is decided tomorrow. We like the pitching we have, and we're in a good position to do that." – head coach Oscar Hirschkorn
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUPS: 
  • Final: Fresno Pacific 10, Sonoma State 8
  • Records: FPU (1-0), SSU (0-1)
  • Location: FPU Diamond | Fresno, Calif.
  • All-Time Series: FPU leads 9-5
HOW IT HAPPENED: 
  • The season started with command issues for the Sunbirds, as the first two pitchers of the day combined for five walks and five earned runs without getting out of the first inning.
  • The offense wasted little time going to work, as Bodie Vegely's sac fly drove FPU's first run of the year in the home second.
  • Sophomore Garrett Cooper followed with an RBI double, and Jack Foote picked up an RBI with a single to left center in his first collegiate at-bat to bring the 'Birds within two. 
  • Nick Dodd singled to open the Sunbird third, and Brian Hefner followed with a four-pitch walk. Jared Aguilar singled home a run to force a Sonoma State pitching change, and designated hitter Matt McGrady followed with another RBI hit to tie the game.
  • Andrue Lackey blasted a 1-1 pitch well over the centerfield wall and onto the tennis courts for his first career dinger, giving the Sunbirds their first lead of the season.
  • Hefner plated a run with an RBI groundout in the fourth to push the Sunbird lead to 9-5, but Sonoma State came back to score a pair of runs in the top of the sixth. 
  • With runners at the corners and no outs in the home half, the Blue and Orange successfully executed a double steal to push across their final run of the evening.
  • The Seawolves managed to get a run back, but freshman reliever Brady Crow was dialed in for the rest of the night, allowing the Sunbirds to take a 1-0 lead in the first series of the year.  
 
STATS FROM THE DAY: 
  • Lackey and centerfielder Michael Warkentin each gave the Sunbirds three hits, while Cooper added two of his own.
  • A senior left-hander, Rumbaugh picked up the win in relief, tossing 97 pitches and fanning six Seawolves over 5.1 much-needed innings.
  • Crow slammed the door with a three-inning save for the first of his career, picking up a pair of strikeouts along the way.
 
SOCIAL:  
ON DECK: 
  • The Sunbirds and Seawolves are set to wrap up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader at FPU Diamond. First pitch is scheduled for noon, with the finale coming 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener. 
 
#TeamFPU
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