March 4, 2014
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - San Diego State put six runs on the board in the bottom of the third inning and went on to defeat 24th-ranked University of San Diego, 8-5, Tuesday evening at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The win improved SDSU to 9-3 as it continued its best start to a season since the 1997 campaign. USD, meanwhile, saw its record fall to 8-3.
The Aztecs got on the board quickly with a run in the opening frame as Greg Allen led off with a single, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Tim Zier.
Two innings later SDSU used five hits, a hit batter, walk and a passed ball to score six times and take a 7-0 lead. Ty France and Andrew Brown both contributed two-run singles to the rally while Tyler Adkison drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk.
The hits for France and Brown were the first of three for each player during the contest. For Brown, the hits were the first of the freshman's collegiate career and included a solo home run. He also registered three RBI and scored once. France tallied three singles on the night along with two RBI and a run scored.
San Diego State starter Brett Seeburger made it through the first three innings unscathed although the Toreros put two runners on in both the second and third. The fourth inning, however, saw him surrender two runs (one earned) on two hits without recording an out before he was lifted in favor of senior TJ Kendzora.
Kendzora proceeded to get the next three outs to end the rally and he would go on to toss 4.2 innings of relief and claim the victory to improve to 1-0. Along the way he allowed three runs (one earned) on three this with two walks and three strikeouts.
After seeing their seven-run lead reduce to two at 7-5 in the top of the eighth, San Diego State added a run of its own in the bottom of that inning on Brown's leadoff solo home run to left.
Closer Michael Cederoth, who had come on to record the final out in the top of the eighth, tossed a perfect ninth that included a pair of strikeouts as he recorded his fourth save since moving to the bullpen two weeks ago.
Up next for San Diego State is a return to Mountain West action as it hosts Nevada for a three-game series this weekend that begins with a contest on Friday, March 7, at 6:00 p.m.