Fresno State baseball team drops series opener at Pepperdine

Even an ace needs a little defensive support.

Fresno State's Tyler Linehan didn't get enough Friday afternoon as three errors led to two unearned runs in the first inning of a 3-2 loss at Pepperdine.

Pepperdine (5-1) scored the go-ahead run in the eighth on Taylor Garrison's wild pitch, and Fresno State (3-3) left a runner stranded in each of the final two innings as it suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season.

Linehan, the Bulldogs' left-handed ace, was coming off a 13-strikeout performance in a 3-0 win over Butler in last week's opener.

But Linehan's chances of winning again were hindered after freshman shortstop Chris Mariscal made two errors and senior second baseman Pat Hutcheson committed one within a span of Pepperdine's first three at-bats.

Linehan still managed to last 72/3 innings and struck out six. He gave up three runs (one earned) on four hits.

Fresno State tied it in the fifth on Hutcheson's sacrifice fly. Linehan exited with a runner on second and two outs in the eighth. Garrison gave up a single to put runners at the corners, then threw the costly two-out wild pitch.

The three-game nonconference series continues at 1 p.m. today in Malibu.

Source: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/24/2735404/fresno-state-baseball-team-drops.html

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