Feb. 24, 2013
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Oregon State rode an early four-run lead against San Diego State to a 7-1 victory over the Aztecs, completing a four-game sweep of the series on a windy Sunday afternoon at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
The No. 6-ranked Beavers (8-0) limited SDSU to two runs in the series, which included 2-0 and 5-0 shutouts in the second and third games of the series. Oregon State is off to its best start since the 1962 team opened the season 18-0.
"They've got a good team," said SDSU coach Tony Gwynn. "It's a good test because you know they have a pretty good club. You know they're one of those teams that can get to Omaha because they've got good pitching, balance in their offense and they play good defense. It's nice sometimes to play teams like that, even though we got swept. It was a learning experience for these guys and, hopefully, we'll get better because of it.
"I hope our pitchers take away how (the Beavers) pound the strike zone. Until today, they had walked one guy in three games. I hope our hitters take away the way their hitters use the whole field, and with guys in scoring position, they executed, where we didn't. In order to beat good teams like that, you've got to execute."
SDSU freshman right-hander Cody Thompson, making his collegiate debut, allowed five hits and five runs with four walks and no strikeouts before he was relieved by Ethan Miller with one out in the third inning.
The Beavers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, loading the bases with two outs before Jeff Hendrix delivered a two-run single up the middle. SDSU third baseman Ty France's first-inning single off Oregon State starter Clay Bauer scored teammate Tim Zier from second base, ending a 21-inning scoreless streak for the No. 22-ranked Aztecs (3-4) and making it 2-1.
Oregon State loaded the bases in the third inning on doubles by Dylan Davis and Danny Hayes and a walk to Hendrix before Kavin Keyes drove in two runs with a double to left-center. Miller hit a batter after replacing Thompson, then walked Andy Peterson to force in a run that made it 5-1.
The Beavers added single runs in the sixth and ninth innings to complete the scoring.
Oregon State pulled Bauer two outs into the second inning. He was replaced by right-hander Bandon Jackson, who scattered four hits over the next 4.1 innings before allowing Steven Pallares and Avondre Bollar to reach base leading off the seventh. The Beavers went to the bullpen again. Right-hander Scott Schultz came on and induced first baseman John Spirk to hit a double-play grounder, then got out of the inning on Danny Sheehan's ground ball to second base.
"Their pitchers did a good job of making us hit their pitch," said Gwynn. "When you're facing a team like that, you've really got to trust the things that you do, and we didn't. We chased a lot of balls out of the zone. We chased a lot of pitches because the first pitch they threw wasn't the one we were looking for and then we got defensive trying to hit something so we didn't have to hit that pitch. And that happens with a young team. The weekend before we didn't even bite, and all of the sudden this weekend we were biting at it."
SDSU second baseman Tim Zier said the Aztecs have to learn what they can from the experience, then put it behind them and focus on the task ahead.
"We have to come out hard next week, come together and really bounce back and put together two, three, four, five games exactly how we did in the opening weekend (against USD)," said Zier. "We have to take it as a good learning experience. That is a great ball club. Everyone's saying they'll probably be in Omaha.
"We just have to learn from this and know that we could have beaten them if we executed more. None of their pitchers were really overpowering. They just pitched us well and threw a lot of strikes. That pays dividends. They had a lot of good, timely hitting as well, which is what we were looking for. But their pitching really took control.
"I was real proud of our pitchers this weekend. They really battled and it shows a lot of promise for the rest of the year."
The Aztecs leave town for the first time this season when they travel to Santa Clara for games Tuesday and Wednesday against the Broncos. The team then returns for a three-game weekend series against Seton Hall at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The first 500 fans at Friday night's opener will receive Tony Gwynn Jr. replica jersey shirts.