The Butler baseball team was unable to counter the offensive lineup of Fresno State, dropping three of four games in a season-opening series in Fresno, Calif.
The bats of the FSU Bulldogs (3-1) came out in force Sunday as they cruised to a 17-2 win over the Butler Bulldogs (1-3).
Butler was out-hit 19-8 in the loss.
Butler sophomore second baseman Marco Caponi hit his first collegiate home run in the eighth inning for the Bulldogs.
Fresno State senior pitcher Thomas Harlan threw nine shutout innings in the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader, leading the home team to a 6-0 win.
Junior third baseman Bob Akin, who was later named Horizon League Batter of the Week, tallied three singles for Butler in the defeat.
Butler came back from an eight-run deficit in the first game of the doubleheader, winning 12-9 in ten innings.
Fresno State scored five runs in the first inning and added another three in the second inning to take an 8-0 lead.
Butler cut the lead in half by scoring four runs in the fourth inning, with senior right fielder Mike Hoscheit driving in two runs on a single to left field.
Butler then scored another run in the fifth inning before bringing four runs home in the sixth inning to take a 9-8 lead.
Fresno State proceeded to tie the game 9-9 in the bottom half of the inning.
The score was still tied in the tenth inning when Butler sophomore center fielder Marcos Calderon singled with the bases loaded to give the visiting Bulldogs a 10-9 advantage.
Junior second baseman Lucas Calderon then drove in two more runs with a two-out single to push the lead to 12-9. Butler’s bullpen sealed the victory in the bottom of the inning.
Butler fell to Fresno State 3-0 in the opening game of the series Friday, which served as the season opener for both teams.
Fresno State sophomore pitcher Tyler Linehan threw 7.2 shutout innings, striking out 13 batters on his way to the win.
Butler senior shortstop Griffin Richeson went 3-for-5 for the Bulldogs in the loss.
Butler will face off against the University of Tennessee at Martin in a three-game series on Saturday and Sunday.
