April 20, 2010
SAN DIEGO - After falling five runs behind by the fifth inning, San Diego State came back to within one but could get no closer as it fell to UC Irvine, 9-4, Tuesday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium. In a contest played in wet and windy conditions, the Anteaters used seven pitchers who were able to hold off the Aztecs' comeback attempt over the second half of the contest.
UCI scored in four of the first five innings against SDSU starter Robert Alcala and reliever Kegan Sharp to take a 5-0 lead. The Aztecs, meanwhile, were held without a hit by Anteater starter Matt Summers and reliever Evan Brock over the first four frames.
A solo home by SDSU right fielder Chris Wilson with one out in the bottom of the fifth marked the first hit of the night for the Aztecs. It was Wilson's fifth homer of the season as he took over the team lead in that category.
San Diego State cut the deficit to 5-2 in the sixth as Mitch Blackburn's single up the middle scored Jomel Torres, who had walked to lead off the inning. The single extended Blackburn's hitting streak to 16 games, SDSU's longest since Brandon Decker hit in 20 straight contests during the 2008 campaign.
The Aztecs got to within a run as they scored two more times in the bottom of the seventh. Josh Chasse's double to right scored Wilson, who had walked, from first base before Torres' two-out single brought Chasse home to make it a 5-4 score line.
That was as close as the home side would get, however, as UC Irvine added a run in the eighth and three more in the ninth to secure the victory. UCI's Brock, who tossed four innings and allowed a run on one hit with five strikeouts, was credited with the win to improve to 3-2. Anteater closer Kyle Necke, who was tagged for the loss when the Aztecs won in Irvine two weeks ago, went the final 1.1 innings to record his sixth save of the season. SDSU's Alcala took the loss to fall to 0-3 on the year.
San Diego State will continue its break from Mountain West Conference play as it hosts Wagner for a four-game series this weekend. The first contest between the Aztecs and Seahawks is scheduled for Friday evening (April 23) at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.