May 22, 2010
SAN DIEGO - Freshman Matthew McDaniel turned in a solid pitching performance and the Aztec offense put enough runs on the board as San Diego State ended its regular season with a 6-4 win over UNLV Saturday afternoon at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Coupled with Brigham Young's loss at Air Force, it meant that SDSU (28-26, 13-11 MWC) finished in sole possession of third place in the final league standings and secured the No. 3 seed at next week's Mountain West Conference Tournament in San Diego.
McDaniel, who entered the contest with only eight previous appearances totaling nine innings this season, was given his second start of the year and came through with 7.1 innings of work allowing four runs on 10 hits. He struck out a season-high nine batters and surrendered no walks as he surpassed his previous long stint of 2.1 innings that came in relief in mid-March. His effort earned him his first collegiate win as he evened his record at 1-1.
San Diego State took the early lead with a run in the bottom of the first as Mitch Blackburn's triple was followed by an RBI single off the bat of Brandon Meredith. Blackburn, who had a pair of hits in the contest, finished the three-game series going 11-for-14 with four doubles, a triple, four runs scored and six RBI.
After the visitors knotted the score in the second, the Aztecs took the lead for good in the bottom half of the same inning on consecutive singles by Matt Parker, Josh Chasse and Brandon Decker. They upped their advantage to 4-1 in the next frame again on three straight singles plus a wild pitch, this time by Meredith, Cory Vaughn and Chris Wilson. The Aztecs four runs to that point were charged to UNLV starter Brian Gilbertson (1-1), who would be suffer the loss.
The Rebels made it a two-run game with a single marker in the fifth only to see SDSU return the favor with a run in the sixth. Singles by Chasse and Decker preceded an RBI ground out by Jomel Torres to make it 5-2.
UNLV made things interesting as it climbed to within a run in its half of the seventh, scoring twice on single, two doubles and a sacrifice fly. But the Aztecs answered with an insurance run in that same inning as Cory Vaughn connected for his ninth home run of the year, a booming drive to dead center field to make it 6-4.
McDaniel, meanwhile, pitched into the eighth inning and after getting the opening batter was lifted in favor of another freshman, Kyle Shaver. The right-hander retired the first batter faced on a called third strike, but then ran into trouble as UNLV loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. At that point, junior lefty Ryan Wynveen came out of the bullpen to get the third out to erase the Rebel threat.
Corey Black, SDSU's third freshman hurler of the afternoon, came on in the ninth and after giving up a leadoff double retired the next three batters to record his second save of the year.
Six Aztecs ended the day with multiple-hit efforts led by Meredith with three singles, a run scored and RBI. Blackburn (2B, 3B, run), Vaughn (HR, 2 runs, RBI), Wilson (RBI), Chasse (run) and Decker (RBI) also had two hits apiece.
By virtue of finishing third in the final WMC standings, San Diego State will face sixth-seeded Utah in its first game of the conference tourney on Tuesday, May 25, at 7:00 p.m. (PT) at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The opening contest that day will have No. 4 seeded Brigham Young taking on fifth-seeded UNLV at 3:00 p.m.