March 1, 2008
SAN DIEGO - Josh Satin's three-run homer in the top of the seventh gave Cal its first lead since the opening inning and the Bears went on to defeat San Diego State, 5-3, Saturday night at SDSU's Tony Gwynn Stadium. The win improved to Bears to 3-1-1 on the year while the Aztecs fell to 5-3.
San Diego State starter J.R. Murphy had pitched well until that fateful seventh inning when a one-out double and a walk preceded Satin's blast. The Aztec senior right-hander left the contest at that point having allowed five runs on five hits with four walks and a half dozen strikeouts. The loss evened Murphy's record at 1-1.
After Cal took the lead with a single marker in the top of the first, SDSU answered back with a pair in the bottom of the frame on back-to-back RBI doubles by Garett Green and Cory Vaughn.
In their half of the third, the Bears knotted the score at 2-2 on an inning-opening walk to David Cooper and two-out singles by Dylan Tonneson and Ryan Hanlon.
One inning later, SDSU's Cameron Johnson walked, stole second and scored on Pat Colwell's two-out RBI single to give the Aztecs a 3-2 lead.
The score line remained that way until Satin's deciding long ball in the seventh. The homer helped make a winner of Bears starter Craig Bennigson (2-0), who won for the second time in two outings in 2008. The junior lefty went eight innings, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out seven and walking four. Bennigson did not give up a hit after Colwell's RBI single in the fourth, allowing only a pair of walks over his final four innings of work.
Cal brought on closer Matt Gorgen in the ninth, and after giving up a leadoff single to Green, he got the next batter, Cory Vaughn, to bounce into a double play before retiring pinch hitter Brandon Glover on a foul popup to third to end the game. It was Gorgen's first save of the season.
Green's hit in the ninth was his second of the contest as he was the lone Aztec to have more than one on the night.
San Diego State concludes play in the USD Tournament with a contest on Sunday, March 2, against Fresno State. That game will start approximately 50 minutes after the conclusion of the 11:00 a.m. between Cal Poly and Missouri (rather than at 4:00 p.m. as originally scheduled).