April 1, 2013
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - San Diego State put together one of its strongest all-around games of the season Monday night in a 10-2 nonconference victory over UC Riverside at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
SDSU (14-14) collected 11 hits in the game, highlighted by sophomore first baseman Ryan Muno's first home run of the season. Muno and teammates Greg Allen, Jake Romanski and Steven Pallares each collected two hits. Muno had a game-high three RBI, while Allen and Romanski added two RBI apiece.
The Aztecs jumped on the Highlanders starting pitcher Antonio Gonzales (0-1) from the get-go. Allen led off the first inning with a double off the left-hander, then Tim Zier and Muno walked to load the bases. Romanski's single scored two runs and Muno later scored on a wild pitch to give the Aztecs a 3-0 lead.
SDSU added runs in the second inning, on a sacrifice fly by Allen, and in the third inning, with Muno again scoring on a wild pitch, and had a 5-1 lead after three innings.
Riverside (13-10) went to the bullpen with runners on the corners in the fourth inning and Muno greeted reliever Donovan Gonzales with a three-run homer well beyond the left-field fence for an 8-1 lead.
The Aztecs added two more runs in the seventh to complete their scoring.
SDSU sophomore left-hander Mike Robards (2-0), making his third start of the season, was outstanding again in the weekday role, allowing one run and five hits over seven innings with six strikeouts and one walk. Junior right-hander T.J. Kendzora came on in the eighth and closed out Riverside on two hits and one run over the final two innings.
The teams conclude the home-and-home series Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Riverside. The Aztecs then return to Mountain West Conference play with a three-game series Friday-Sunday against Nevada at Tony Gwynn Stadium.