Feb. 24, 2007
SAN DIEGO - UC Riverside crossed the plate in every inning except the ninth, scoring off six different San Diego State pitchers as it defeated the Aztecs, 16-4, Saturday evening at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The win improved the Highlanders to 8-3 on the year while SDSU saw its record drop to 7-6.
The game was a far cry from Friday's contest in which the pitchers controlled the flow of a game that lasted just over two-and-a-half hours. On Saturday, there were a total of 21 walks (11 by UCR, 10 by SDSU) and a total of 20 hits in a contest that last just over four hours.
The teams matched runs over the first three innings as the game was tied at 4-4 at that point. The starting hurlers for both teams lasted only two innings as each had early control problems. UCR's Taylor Bills allowed four runs and walked four while SDSU's Bruce Billings also gave up four runs while walking five.
From the fourth inning on, relief pitching was the difference. The Highlanders brought on lefty Pat Cassa (1-0) and he proceeded to hold SDSU to just two hits while striking out nine over the next five innings to pick his first win of the season.
Cassa's teammates, meanwhile, were scoring runs on each of the Aztecs' next five relievers. All told, SDSU used eight pitchers on the night and recorded a dozen strikeouts. But the10 walks combined with 16 hits by UCR led to the one-sided score. A total of 13 of the Highlander's 16 runs were earned, but it was the two unearned runs charged to Mike Koons that caused the junior to take the loss and see his record fall to 1-1.
UC Riverside was led by shortstop Jaime Pedroza who recorded five RBI, three coming on a home run with two men on in the seventh. Left fielder Aaron Wible had three hits and also had a homer, a two-run shot in the third. Eight members of the UCR starting lineup had at least one hit with seven driving in at least one run.
Four Highlander pitchers limited SDSU to four hits over the course of the contest with only one of those coming after the third inning. Third baseman Nick Romero had a two-run triple in the first and Aaron Brady drove in a run with a single in the second to give the home team its last lead of the game at 3-2.
After Wible's homer in the third gave the visitors a 4-3 lead, a base-loaded walk to Frank LoNigro tied the score in the bottom of the same inning. From there it was all Riverside both at the plate and on the mound.
UC Riverside and San Diego State conclude their three-game series on Sunday (Feb. 25) at 1:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.