Feb. 23, 2007
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State lefty Donnie Hume flirted with a no-hitter through eight innings Friday night before UC Riverside struck for four runs in the top of the ninth to take a 4-1 win over the Aztecs in a game played at Tony Gwynn Stadium. It was a heartbreaking loss for SDSU and for Hume, who finished with a two-hitter and 10 strikeouts, but was saddled with the loss to fall to 2-2 on the season.
As well as the Aztec junior pitched, he was matched by UC Riverside starter James Simmons, who went to distance to win for the fourth time in four outings. Simmons allowed just three hits, with two of those coming in the first inning when San Diego State scored its only run of the game. Simmons struck out nine and walked two over his nine-inning effort as he helped the Highlanders improved to 8-3.
SDSU (7-5) got its run in its first at bat as Pat Colwell singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. A bunt single by Troy Hanzawa moved Colwell to third, and he scored on Brandon Glover's ground out to second.
From that point, SDSU could only muster three base runners over the remaining eight innings, two on walks and one on a single by Cameron Johnson in the fifth.
Hume, meanwhile, kept the Riverside hitters off balance, allowing only two base runners over the first eight frames via an error and a base on balls.
In the top of the ninth, UCR second baseman Bryan Hurst led off by lining a single to right just over the outstretched Glove of Aztec second baseman Garett Green. Carl Uhl followed with a check swing blooper over first base that went for a double to put runners on second and third. That spelled the end of the evening for Hume, who was relieved by junior Shane Kaufman.
A wild pitch advanced both runners, tying the score. A walk to Jaime Pedroza was followed by a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ryan Goetz to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. The next hitter, Mark Samuelson, launched a triple to right center to bring home Pedroza. Aaron Wible's ensuing sacrifice fly to right brought home the fourth run of the game for the Highlanders.
Simmons then closed out the game in the bottom of the inning, giving up a two-out walk to Glover before getting Nick Romero to fly out to right for the final out. The walk was the only base runner Simmons allowed over the final four innings as he retired 14 of the final 15 batters he faced.
UC Riverside and San Diego State will continue their three-game weekend series on Saturday (Feb. 24) with first pitch set for 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.