Feb. 18, 2007
SAN DIEGO - For the second straight game, USC found a way to rally in its final at bat to avoid defeat, but this time San Diego State had the last word as it scored in the bottom of the ninth to take a 12-11 decision over the Trojans. Joe Spiers' single up the middle scored Grant Green from second base to give the Aztecs the victory after the Trojans had scored four times in the top of the inning to tie the score.
The win allowed SDSU to avoid the sweep at the hands of 21st-ranked USC as it improved to 6-4. The Trojans saw their record fall to 7-5 on the year.
A stiff breeze blowing out to left field caused early problems for SDSU starter Lance Sewell, who gave up a pair of wind-aided home runs to USC shortstop Grant Green and first baseman J.J. Owen over the first three innings as the Aztecs fell behind 5-1.
San Diego State responded by sending 10 men to the plate in the bottom of the third, scoring six times to take a 7-5 lead. Second baseman Garett Green matched his brother's long-ball effort with a two-run homer to left to cap off the inning. The Aztecs also got an RBI double by Frank LoNigro and run-scoring singles by Troy Hanzawa and Brandon Glover.
The visitors knotted the score with a pair of markers in the next inning, only to see SDSU reclaim a two-run advantage with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Hanzawa's single scored Brandon Glover from third, and he scored on Cameron Johnson's two-out double down the right field line to give the home side a 9-7 advantage.
Aztec right-hander Aaron Brady, who had come on in relief of Sewell to start the fourth inning, kept the USC bats in check over the next three innings, allowing just one hit and two walks from the fifth through the seventh.
A Chris Anderson home run in the bottom of the fifth gave the Aztecs a 10-7 lead before Trojan reliever Hector Rabago entered the game to begin the sixth and kept the SDSU offense under control over the next two innings. The Aztecs increased their lead to 11-7 with a run in the eighth as Hanzawa picked up his third RBI of the day on a single to left that scored Johnson from second.
In the top of the ninth, USC caused the Aztecs to have flashbacks of Saturday night's contest in which they scored three in the final frame to win it. This time, the Trojans loaded the bases with a single and two walks off freshman Steven Strasburg that were followed by a three-run double by right fielder Anthony Vasquez to make it a one-run affair.
SDSU called on reliever Mike Koons, but a two-out single by Grant Green allowed Vasquez to score and tie the game at 11-11.
The bottom of the ninth began with SDSU's Garett Green reaching first on a throwing error by brother Grant. After stealing second base, Garett scored the game-winning run on a one-out single up the middle by Joe Spiers that just tipped the glove of USC second baseman Matt Cusick. Grant Green picked up the ball and fired it home, but not before his brother scored.
Spiers' hit came off Trojan closer Paul Koss, who lost for the first time this season to fall to 1-1. Conversely, Mike Koons picked up his first win of the year to improve to 1-0.
Both Troy Hanzawa and Cameron Johnson ended the afternoon with three hits as the former drove in three runs and the latter scored three times.
San Diego State continues its current six-game home stand on Tuesday (Feb. 20) when its hosts 8th-ranked Cal State Fullerton at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.