May 21, 2011
Box Score | 2011 MWC Championship Bracket | All-Session Tickets | Single Day Tickets
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - San Diego State scored two runs in each of the middle three innings and got a stellar pitching performance from freshman TJ Kendzora in a 6-0 win over UNLV Saturday afternoon at Earl Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas. The victory allowed the Aztecs to finish in fourth place in the final Mountain West Conference standings and claim the No. 4 seed at next week's MWC Tournament in San Diego.
The Aztecs opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the fourth inning with the help of a couple of Rebel miscues in the field. After Jomel Torres led off with a single up the middle, Dillon Bryant's sacrifice bunt attempt was thrown past first base by Rebel third baseman Travis Feiner. With Torres racing for third, UNLV second baseman Hunter Beaty's retrieved the ball only to have his throw to third skip past Feiner allowing Torres to score. After Bryant advanced to third on a ground out he was driven home by Ben Vasko's single to left.
SDSU doubled its lead in the next inning as Brandon Meredith's sacrifice fly to right scored Cody Smith from third and a single later in the frame brought home Tim Zier to make it 4-0. All four of the Aztec runs to that point were charged to UNLV starter Max Javate (5-2), who left the contest after 4.2 innings and would be the losing pitcher.
San Diego State got its final two runs in the sixth thanks in part to some control problems by reliever Jesse Garcia. The Rebel left-hander loaded the bases on walks to Evan Potter, Meredith and Torres prior to a two-out two-RBI single by Bryant, who finished the day with a pair of hits and three runs batted in. Bryant, who originally signed with UNLV out of Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.), was the Aztecs' offensive standout over the three-game series as he went 7-for 11 with a pair of doubles, five RBI and three runs scored.
In addition to Bryant, both Jomel Torres and Brandon Meredith ended Saturday's contest with two hits apiece and a run scored for the Aztecs, who ended the regular season with a record of 21-34 overall and 11-13 in conference play.
Kendzora, meanwhile, was stellar over the first eight innings as he allowed only two hits while issuing three walks and striking out four as he improved to 3-2 on the season. His only rough spot came in the bottom of the third and it was through his efforts in the field that the Rebels were unable to cash in.
That inning began with a double by Cash Thomas followed by a walk to Hunter Beaty. Trevor Kirk's sacrifice bunt attempt was pounced on by Kendzora, who threw to third to retire the lead runner. With runners still on first and second, his pickoff attempt of Beaty at second base skipped into center fielder allowing the lead runner to advance to third. But the Aztec lefty then picked Kirk off first base before retiring Scott Berke on a fly ball to center to end the inning.
After throwing just over 100 pitches over the first eight frames, Kendzora gave way to senior Ryan Wynveen for the ninth, and the Aztec senior gave up a leadoff single before retiring the next three batters to secure the win. UNLV (33-22; 10-13 MWC), which came into the contest as the conference's top hitting team, finished with just three hits and was shut out for the first time during the 2011 season.
San Diego State now returns home to host the 2011 Mountain West Conference Tournament at Tony Gwynn Stadium that gets underway on Tuesday, May 24. Following a 3:00 p.m. game between No. 3 seed BYU and No. 6 seed New Mexico, the fourth-seeded Aztecs will take on No. 5 seed UNLV at 7:00 p.m. that evening.
Single-session tickets for the MWC Tournament are available at a cost of $12 for adults and $10 for youth (3-14) and seniors (55+). Those tickets are good for admission to all games on any one day of the tourney and may be purchased on the SDSU web site by clicking here, by phone at (619) 283-74378 or in person at Window E at Qualcomm Stadium (M-F, 9am to 5pm). All-session passes, good for admission to all games, are also available. Prices for those tickets are $40 for adults and $30 for youth and seniors.