May 11, 2009
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State tallied a dozen runs for the second consecutive day and got a solid pitching performance from senior Jon Berger as it defeated San Francisco, 12-4, Tuesday afternoon at Tony Gwynn Stadium. It was the final home game of the season for the Aztecs, who won for the sixth time in their last seven outings to improve to 35-18. The Dons, meanwhile, saw their record fall to 26-27.
Berger, who would claim the victory to move his record to 4-5, got off to a shaky start, but eventually settled down and took control of the contest. A USF run in the first was followed by three more in the third, capped by a two-run homer by Don second baseman Stephen Yarrow that went over the racquet ball courts in right field and gave the visitors a 4-2 lead.
Following Yarrow's one-out blast, however, Berger retired the next 14 batters in a row while his teammates provided some offensive fireworks of their own.
The Aztecs responded to USF's rally in the top of the third with a four-run outburst in the bottom of the same inning to grab the lead for good. Erik Castro's two-run homer tied the game and Chris Wilson's two-out two-run home run gave SDSU a 6-4 advantage.
Wilson's shot over the left field fence would eventually make a loser of USF right-hander Garrett Luippold (0-4), one of seven pitchers utilized by the Dons' coaching staff on the afternoon.
In the next frame, Ryan O'Sullivan hit a solo home run, his fourth of the season and second in two days. Two innings later, Jomel Torres' double down the left field line brought home O'Sullivan and Pat Colwell to make it a 9-4 contest.
Berger, who departed after seven innings of work, allowed four runs on five hits while walking none and striking out four. The relief trio of Chase Thomas, Goldy Simmons and Craig Rasmussen would close out the final two frames on the mound.
The Aztecs got their final three runs in the eighth inning on an RBI double by Castro and a two-run single later in the frame by Mitch Blackburn.
Catcher Chris Wilson finished the afternoon with three hits including the home run, three RBI and a pair of runs scored for SDSU. Four others recorded a pair of hits including Pat Colwell (2 runs, RBI), Brandon Meredith (double, two runs), Castro (double, home run, two runs, three RBI) and Blackburn (run, 2 RBI).
With its 2009 home slate complete, San Diego State will hit the road for its final Mountain West Conference three-game series of the season against Utah. Those contests will be played in Ogden, Utah, at Lindquist Field, the home of the minor league Ogden Raptors, a Rookie affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The series gets underway on Thursday, May 14, at 6:00 p.m. (MT).