Stockton, Calif. – The Pacific Tigers set a new season high in runs with a 15-run outburst against the Fresno State Bulldogs, snapping a three-game losing streak with the 15-6 victory.  The win came on a one-game break from conference play, with Pacific returning to the WCC this weekend when they host Saint Mary's.  The Tigers are now 10-16 this season.  Fresno State drops to 20-9 overall.

Taylor Johnson was on the mound for his third start of the year.  Johnson has a 3.00 ERA as a starter this year, having gone four innings against Northern Colorado and two innings against San Francisco.  The sophomore earned his second win after three innings of work, giving way to Bryce Lombardi. 

Lombardi, who has excelled since moving to a relief role, continued his run of strong play for the Tigers.  The senior had pitched 7.2 scoreless innings as a reliever entering the game and added another three before giving up two runs.  Lombardi also struck out six, giving him a new career high.  As a reliever, Lombardi has 12 strikeouts this year, as opposed to one strikeout in his two starts.

Anthony Arias made his sixth start for Fresno State but left the game after giving up five runs and two homers in 2.1 innings of work thanks to the strong play of Pacific's offense.  Arias had previously allowed just one homer in his nine appearances before J.J. Wagner and Nate Verlin connected against him. 

Fresno State struck first with a two-run homerun in the first inning for an early lead.  Johnson got the first man he faced swinging before giving up a double and a blast into the visitor's bullpen. 

Another hit followed but Blake Barry showed off his arm while gunning the runner down as Fresno State tried to stretch it into a double. 

Dylan Robertson, making his first start since March 6, roped a single to left in the first.  Robertson got too much of the ball as it get to the leftfielder in a hurry and forced Robertson to retreat to first.  The freshman couldn't advance from there as two strikeouts ended the inning.

Wagner did his part to cut into the deficit with a bomb over the leftfield wall leading off the second inning.  Wagner's homer was his third of the year after the senior entered the year with two career homers in three years.  All three of Wagner's homers have been to leftfield and two of the three have come at home. 

The Wagner homer helped open up the offense for Pacific.  Kevin Sandri singled straight up the middle to make it seven straight games in which Sandri has reached base safely.  Blake Barry drew a walk after that, his fourth of the year in just 22 plate appearances.

J.P. Yakel took one on the elbow to load the bases, the second game in a row he has been hit by a pitch.  After that, Miles Haddad tied the game with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.  It was Haddad's first RBI of the year in his first ever start at second base. 

Back-to-back doubles in the third gave Fresno State the lead once again at 3-2.  A sacrifice bunt and a groundout gave the Bulldogs their fourth run before Johnson was able to end the inning.

Gio Brusa kept rolling with another double, this one on a line drive to leftfield in the third.  It was Brusa's seventh extra-base hit in the last six games, a stretch which has seen Brusa hit .500 with seven runs, five doubles, three homers, and ten RBI.  Brusa also has multiple hits in five of those six games. 

A walk followed for Wagner before Verlin cleared the bases with his first career homerun and gave Pacific their first lead of the game.  Verlin took a 2-1 pitch out to the scoreboard to make it 5-4.  Verlin had two doubles and two triples this season and three doubles his freshman year but had yet to clear the fences before today in his collegiate career.  The homer was also part of Verlin's continued success as the six-hole hitter, where he has hit .461 this season.  Verlin's five-RBI day nearly doubled his season total, giving him 11 RBI.

Sandri started the fourth making a great play behind Lombardi, ranging to his right and rifling the ball to first on what looked like a sure hit.  The baseball gods balanced things out after that.  A high bouncer popped over Wagner's head and ended up as a double as it died in short leftfield as soon as it got past the third baseman.  Lombardi wasn't fazed by the man in scoring position and ended the frame scoreless. 

Barry extended his team-best hitting streak to five games in the fifth with a single that stayed just high enough to avoid the leaping shortstop.  The single came after a Verlin single to put another man in scoring position.  Barry has now hit .389 with three runs and three walks when starting.

Louis Mejia came on as a pinch-hitter after that.  Mejia beat out an infield hit to load the bases for the third time in the game for the Tigers.  The senior knocked a slow grounder down the third base line and made it to the base just inches before the throw.

Robertson drew a walk to score Pacific's sixth run of the night, giving the freshman his first career RBI and keeping the bases loaded.  Danny Mayer pushed a run home as his hustle forced an error by the shortstop, who bobbled the ball as he tried to make a quick throw.

Brusa tore the cover off the ball and cleared the bases after that with a double to deep leftfield.  The three-run double by Brusa matched the senior's season-high in RBI, set just four games ago.  The double also was a part of Brusa continued strong hitting as an outfielder, as Brusa has hit .389 with five doubles and two homers when he has played in the field.

Lombardi allowed his first runs as a reliever this season when Fresno State laced a triple down the rightfield line with two men on in the seventh.  Lombardi refused to give in and retired three straight from there to strand the man on third and keep Pacific's lead at four. 

Mayer and Brusa singled in the seventh, with Wagner walking after to load the bases again.  The singles were Mayer's second and Brusa's third hits of the game.

Verlin, already with three RBI, added two more with a single past the first baseman, making it 12-6.  Verlin more than doubled his previous career high in RBI with the single, as he had never before driven in more than two men in one game before doing it twice in individual at-bats today. 

The Tigers set their new season high in runs in the eighth thanks to Robertson and Mayer.  The bases were loaded once again, with Sandri singling to start the rally.  Jimmy Boras pinch-hit and was immediately hit by a pitch to reach base, with Mejia walking after that.  Robertson then knocked a curving liner away from the centerfielder to score two runs and move Mejia to third, giving the freshman a three-RBI day.

Mayer drove in his 23^rd run of the year with an infield hit after Robertson to make it 15-6.  The junior sent a chopper toward the third baseman, who charged and couldn't get his full glove on the ball to make a play. 

With the midweek game over, the Tigers will return to WCC play to play the Saint Mary's Gaels.  Pacific will host Saint Mary's Friday at 7:00 pm to start the series.  The second game, on Saturday at 6:00 pm, will be the first fireworks night of the year as well as the Alumni Night.  The series will conclude Sunday at 1:00 pm.  Tickets for all games are available online.

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