April 15, 2008
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State came from three runs down as it scored three times in both the fifth and sixth innings in a 10-7 win over UC Riverside Tuesday evening at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The Aztecs banged out 12 hits on the night as they scored in each of their final four innings at bat to complete a season sweep of their two games with the Highlanders.
SDSU sophomore left-hander Nate Solow (2-5) went six innings, allowing four runs on four hits while striking five out to post his first victory since the opening weekend of the season. With the win, San Diego State improved to 22-15 while UC Riverside dropped to 9-22.
The game did not being promisingly for Solow and the Aztecs as UCR leadoff man Carl Uhl homered in the top of the first to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Riverside added a pair of runs in the fourth on two walks, two singles, a wild pitch and a passed ball.
Highlander starting hurler Paul Applebee kept the Aztec offense at bay over the first four frames. Although he allowed a base runner in each of those innings, SDSU was unable to break through with a timely hit when needed.
San Diego State finally got to the UCR lefty with three runs in the fifth to tie the game at 3-3. After loading the bases on consecutive singles by Bubba Ruddy, Brett Tanos and Pat Colwell, Brandon Decker brought home two runs with a single to right. Two batters later, Garett Green lifted his sixth sacrifice fly of the season to center to knot the score.
The Aztecs added three runs in the next inning off Highlander reliever Rob Waite, scoring one on a passed ball and getting a two-run single from Troy Hanzawa. Waite would eventually be tagged with the loss to fall to 1-2.
In the seventh, after UCR scored once in the top of the frame, Brandon Glover's solo home run, his second in three games, made it a 7-4 contest. The visitors scored again in the eighth, only to see the Aztecs put three runs on the board in the bottom of the inning with two coming on a home run by Nick Romero, his team-leading sixth of the year.
SDSU first baseman Brett Tanos led the Aztecs with three hits and a pair of runs scored Brandon Decker, Brandon Glover and Bubba Ruddy had two hits apiece. Decker also contributed three RBI while Troy Hanzawa and Nick Romero had two apiece.
San Diego State now resumes Mountain West Conference action as it travels to Las Vegas for a three-game series with UNLV beginning Friday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.