May 20, 2011
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Scott Dysinger's single drove home the winning run as UNLV defeated San Diego State, 4-3, Thursday night in the opener of their three-game series in Las Vegas. That came after the Aztecs had tied the contest in the top of the ninth on a two-out base hit by pinch hitter Mitch Bluman.
The winning run came against SDSU reliever Bryan Crabb (1-7), who had come on to begin the eighth inning. The Aztecs opened the contest with sophomore Corey Black on the mound and also used lefty Cole Swanson for three innings as they looked to limit their innings in anticipation of next week's Mountain West Conference tournament.
Black ran into trouble in the first inning as the Rebels (32-21; 10-11 MWC) loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk before Ryan Scott laced a two-out two-run single through the right side to stake the home side to a quick 2-0 lead.
UNLV senior right-hander Tanner Peters, looking for his 10th win of the season, breezed through the first two frames before the Aztecs rallied to tie the game in the top of the third. Tim Zier led off the inning with a single and went to third on a one-out double by Evan Potter. Cody Smith's single to left brought home Zier with Potter scoring on Pat Colwell's sacrifice fly to right.
After his shaky start, Black did not allow a hit over the next three innings. After reaching his designated pitch count, he ended his night after the fourth after surrendering the two runs on three hits and a pair of walks with four strikeouts.
Swanson, the Aztecs' normal No. 2 starter over the past several weeks, came on in relief of Black in the fifth and got into trouble quickly. A walk, double and hit batter loaded the bases with no outs before a wild pitch allowed the go-ahead run to score and make it a 3-2 contest. Another walk loaded the bases again, But Swanson settled down and got a foul pop-out to first, a called third strike and a fly ball to left to escape further damage.
Peters, meanwhile, was able to keep San Diego State (19-34; 9-13 MWC) off the board as it was unable to take advantage of a pair of excellent scoring opportunities. In the top of the fifth, Dillon Bryant led off with a double and was sacrificed to third by Potter, but the Aztecs could not bring him home.
SDSU had a similar situation in the seventh when Dillon led off with a single and went to second on a ground out before a wild pitch put him on third with one down. Once again, however, the Aztecs could not cash in.
The third time proved to be the charm for San Diego State with Bryant once again involved. The freshman led off the ninth with a single against UNLV closer Zack Hartman and was sacrificed to second by Potter. A grounder to shortstop put Bryant on third with two outs and this time the Aztecs were able to score as pinch hitter Mitch Bluman's single to left tied the game at 3-3.
In the bottom of the ninth UNLV opened with a single by Richie Jimenez, who was sacrificed to second by Scott Berke. An intentional walk to Trevor Kirk set the stage for Dysinger's game-winning single, which landed just inside the left field line. That hit made a winner of Hartman, who improved to 5-2 despite having given up the tying run in the top of the inning.
Dillon Bryant was the lone Aztec with more than one hit on the evening as he finished with a double, two singles and a run scored. SDSU out-hit the Rebels 10-8,but failed to capitalize on its chances as it left 11 men on base over the course of the game.
San Diego State and UNLV will continue their three-game series on Friday with a contest slated for a 7:00 p.m. start at Earl Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas.