April 2, 2006
SAN DIEGO - For the second straight night, the San Diego State baseball team built a lead over the first six innings and then hung on for a win as it defeated UNLV, 11-10, in the final game of the Mountain West Conference Preseason Tournament at Tony Gwynn Stadium Sunday evening. The victory, the third straight for SDSU, allowed the Aztecs (9-24) to emerge from the tourney with a 3-1 league record as they finished the first weekend of MWC play tied with TCU for first place.
UNLV (14-17, 2-2 MWC) took a quick 3-0 lead in the contest thanks to a solo home run by CJ Lang in the first and his two-RBI single in the second. Those runs came off SDSU senior starter Will Miller, who lasted just 1.1 innings before giving way to Brett Douglas.
SDSU answered back with two in the bottom of the second on a Paul Smyth double, a triple by Curt Mendoza and an RBI ground out by Jordan Swaydan. The home side tied the game on Tim O'Brien's two-run homer in the third, then took the lead for good in the same inning on an RBI single by Mendoza to make it a 5-4 game.
San Diego State added three ruins in the fifth on a bases-loaded double by Jordan Swaydan off UNLV starter Ryan Tabor, who was tagged with the loss to fall to 1-3. SDSU increased its advantage to 9-4 when Nick Romero drive home Lance Zawadzki, who had singled and advanced on a balk, in the sixth inning.
SDSU's Brett Douglas kept the Rebel offense under control for 5.1 innings, as he scattered four hits and struck out three. His effort was rewarded as he earned his first win of the season to even his record at 1-1.
UNLV began a comeback in the top of the seventh, scoring three times to cut the deficit to 9-7. However, SDSU scored what proved to be the winning run in the bottom of the inning when Joseph Scaperotta's base-loaded grounder up the middle just eluded the out-stretched glove of the Rebel second baseman to bring home a pair of runs and make it 11-7.
Thos two runs proved crucial as UNLV got a three-run home in the eighth off Aztec reliever Adam Simon to close the gap to a single run at 11-10.
With the game on the line in the ninth, SDSU went to Justin Masterson in the ninth in what was the junior right-hander's first relief appearance of the year. He did not disappoint as he retired the Rebels in order in the final frame to preserve the win for Douglas and notch his first save as an Aztec.
Four Aztecs had multiple-hit games led by outfielder Paul Smyth who had a pair of singles, a double and four runs scored. Romero, Swaydan and Zawadzki all had a pair of hits with Swaydan recording a team-high three runs batted in.
San Diego State will hit the mid-point of its current four-week 15-game home stand when Cal State Fullerton, ranked second in the nation by Baseball America last week, visits Tony Gwynn Stadium on Tuesday (April 4) for a 6:00 p.m. contest.
San Diego State 11, UNLV 10UNLV 121 000 330 - 10 12 1SDSU 023 031 20x - 11 13 3Tabor, Pupo (6), Beard (7) and WalkerMiller, Douglas (2), Suwyn (7), Simon (7), Masterson (9) and SwaydanW - Douglas (1-1)L - Tabor (1-3)Sv - Masterson (1)HR - UNLV: Lang-1 (1st-nono on) UNLV: Miller-5 (3rd-none on) UNLV: Cruz-4 (8th-thwo on) SDSU: O'Brien-6 (3rd-one on)Att. - 492Time - 3:21