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Aztecs snap four-game slide
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo courtesy goaztecs.com
April 11, 2023 (San Diego) - Rebounding from a tough defeat the previous night, San Diego State picked up a much-needed victory on Tuesday with a 5-2 triumph over UC San Diego in the finale of a brief home-and-home series at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
With, the Aztecs (12-17) snapped a four-game losing streak and beat the Tritons (21-10) for the first time in six meetings dating back to last season.
Despite getting out-hit 7-5, SDSU received clutch pitching from eight different hurlers who managed to strand 10 UCSD baserunners thanks in part to a combined 10 strikeouts.
Leading 2-0 after Xavier Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly in the second and TJ Fondtain’s towering home run in the sixth, the Scarlet and Black feared a repeat of Monday’s hard-luck loss when the Tritons knotted the ballgame with a pair of markers in the top of the eighth.
UCSD greeted new Aztec reliever Ricky Tibbett with doubles by Doyle Kane and Brock Kleszcz sandwiched around a Crew Robinson groundout. Following Luke Saunders’ flyout to left, pinch hitter Brandon Larson stepped to the plate and laced a single up the middle to bring home Kleszcz and even the score at 2-2.
Unfazed, SDSU responded with three runs on three hits and a walk in the bottom of the frame off Joe Soberon, who failed to record an out in his brief stint.
Cade Martinez led off with a solid single up the middle, while pinch hitter Charlie Rhee bunted for a hit past the pitcher’s mound on the third base side of the infield. Moments later, Irvin Weems knocked in Martinez with the go-ahead run on another single up the middle, while Shaun Montoya drew a walk to chase Soberon.
With the bases loaded, new Triton reliever Ryan Rissas uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Rhee to cross the plate, while Fondtain just missed his second dinger of the night with a deep fly ball to the warning track in right that plated Weems and gave the host school a 5-2 advantage it would not relinquish.
Eldridge Armstrong III took the mound for the Aztecs in the ninth and struck out the side to earn his first collegiate save.
Despite surrendering the two aforementioned runs in the eighth, Ricky Tibbett (1-0) was credited with his first victory of the season, while Soberon (0-2) absorbed the loss.
SDSU drew first blood in the second when Carrigg doubled down the left-field line and took third when Nick Costello booted the ball in the corner, while Gonzalez followed with a sacrifice fly to shallow right field.
The score remained unchanged until the sixth when Fondtain launched his team-leading sixth homer over the fence in right on a 1-1 offering from Nolan McCracken.
UCSD loaded the bases in the fourth when Robinson reached on a fielder’s choice and Kleszcz singled before Bradlee Preap was hit by a pitch with two outs. However, Aidan Russell induced a groundout by Luke Glascoe to end the threat.
The Tritons left the bases full once again in the seventh when Jonny Guzman induced a flyout to Matt Halbach. Earlier, Trevor Fox issued walks to Preap and Costello, while Michael Fuhrman was hit by a pitch after Guzman took the hill.
Both teams utilized eight pitchers in the contest, including the Aztecs’ Julian Jackson, who made his first start in a Scarlet and Black uniform, allowing one run and one walk in two innings of work.
San Diego State resumes its Mountain West schedule later in this week when it ventures to the Central Valley for a key three-game series at Fresno State April 14-16 in Fresno, California.
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