Feb. 22, 2014
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - In a contest that evolved into a tight pitching duel, San Diego State pushed a run across in the bottom of the 10th inning to defeat West Virginia, 2-1, Saturday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The result evened the weekend series between the Aztecs (4-2) and Mountaineers (2-3) at one game apiece.
Aztec starter Bubba Derby and WVU's Sean Carley went through the first five frames without allowing a run, but neither would be around at the end to figure in the decision.
Derby surrendered just two hits in the opening five innings and did not allow a runner to get further than first base. In the sixth, however, a leadoff double by Taylor Munden was followed by a sacrifice bunt and a two-out RBI single by Ryan McBroom to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
It took SDSU until the bottom of the seventh to score against Carley, a former hurler at Air Force who the Aztecs had faced when he was a freshman there in 2011. With two out, Steve Pallares singled and stole second before Evan Potter was hit by pitch. Greg Allen then hit an infield single that went off Carley toward first base. When the West Virginia pitcher tried to scoop it and get it to first his throw went past the first baseman allowing Pallares to score and tie the contest.
That seventh would be Carley's last inning with his final stat line reading one unearned run on seven hits with no walks and nine strikeouts. Derby would go eight innings allowing a run on four this with a walk and seven strikeouts.
With one out in the bottom of the 10th, SDSU's Tim Zier was hit by a pitch from WVU reliever Trevor Simms. Ryan Muno drew an intentional base on balls before Simms beaned Seby Zavala to load the bases. With the infield at double play depth, freshman pinch hitter Tyler Adkison hit a grounder to short and beat the relay from second to first allowing to Zier to score the winning run.
Michael Cederoth, who had come on in relief in the top of the ninth, picked up the win to even his record at 1-1. The loss went to Simms (0-1).
Zier finished the night with three hits and the run scored while fellow Aztecs Allen and Zavala had two hits apiece.
The final game between San Diego State and West Virginia is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 23, at noon.