May 12, 2002
Albuquerque - San Diego State clinched the regular-season Mountain West Conference title and the number-one seed at the upcoming MWC tournament by defeating New Mexico, 15-11, Sunday afternoon at Lobo Field in Albuquerque. For the third day in a row, gusting winds played havoc with the pitchers and outfielders as the teams combined for 45 hits on the day.
The game went back and forth much of the afternoon with the lead changing hands five times before San Diego State (38-20, 18-9 MWC) took control over the final three innings.
Trailing 10-9 after six, the Aztecs scored three times in the seventh to take the lead for good. The big blow in the inning was a two-run triple off the bat of Carlo Cota, who finished the game with three hits and four runs batted in. He later scored on a sac fly by freshman Jake McLintock, who had homered earlier in the contest and, like Cota, ended his day with three hits and four RBI.
New Mexico (21-31, 10-17 MWC) cut SDSU's lead to 12-11 with a run in its half of the seventh, but the Aztecs restored their two-run advantage when Cota drove in Ryan Wilson in the eighth.
In the bottom of the eighth, San Diego State caught a break when, with runners on first and third and one out, Troy Cairns' grounder hit Lobo runner Todd Stroud, preventing a run from scoring. Aztec hurler Joe Carque then retired Cory Lizarraga on a ground ball to third to escape the inning unscathed.
SDSU added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth when Anthony Gwynn hit his first home run of the season, scoring McLintock, who had been hit by a pitch earlier in the inning.
Carque, who threw 3.1 innings in relief of starter Eric Human, got the win to improve to 7-3. UNM's Kevin Letz (2-3) took the loss for the Lobos.
By the end of the game, two Aztecs found themselves in the school record book. Junior John Stephens, who was hit by pitch in each of the weekend's games, has now been hit 11 times this year, a new SDSU single-season mark. In addition, Josh Hill's three doubles on the day tied the school record for two-baggers in a game. That feat was last accomplished by Jake McLintock against the Lobos in San Diego on April 7.
Up next for San Diego State is a three-game series at UNLV next weekend to conclude the regular season. The first game between the Aztecs and Rebels is scheduled for Thursday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m. (PDT) in Las Vegas. That game can be heard live on the Internet beginning at 6:20 p.m. (PDT) with the Aztec pregame show.
San Diego State 15, New Mexico 11SDS 402 201 312 - 15 24 2UNM 400 051 100 - 11 21 1Human. Carque (5), Ring (9) and ManfredGross, Letz (4), Salas (7), Svetlic (9) and Grady, M. Alexander (5)W - Carque (7-3)L - Letz (2-3)Sv - NoneHR - SDS: McLintock (6th-none on), Gwynn (9th-one on) UNM: C. Alexander (5th-one on)Att. - 626Time - 3:38