Feb. 27, 2015
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - San Diego State opened its 2105 Mountain West season with a sweep of visiting San Jose State on Friday at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The Aztec took game one by the score of 4-2 and then defeated the Spartans, 7-5, in the nightcap to improve to 10-1 overall (2-0 Mountain West).
The first game turned into a pitchers' duel with both hurlers working rapidly and batters not going deep into counts. As a result the contest was one of the quicker affairs in recent years as it consumed just two hours and two minutes.
SDSUs' junior right-hander Bubba Derby would have the last word as he worked eight innings allowing a pair of runs on six hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. In the process he picked up his first win of the year to improve to 1-0.
San Jose State's Kalei Contrades proved almost as effective, tossing eight innings and giving up four runs with no walks and four strikeouts. He would eventually take the loss, however, to drop to 0-2.
The visitors got on the board first with a run in the top of the fourth, but San Diego State answered back quickly with a two-run homer by Seby Zavala in the bottom of the frame to go up 2-1.
The Aztecs would not surrender the lead the rest of the way, adding a run in the fifth on an RBI single by Steven Pallares. And after the Spartans closed to within a run at 3-2 with a marker in the sixth, SDSU finally picked up an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out single by Andrew Brown.
CJ Saylor would come on to pitch the final inning, striking out the final two batters he faced to notch his fifth save.
In the nightcap, San Jose State (4-6, 0-2 MW) came out swinging and took a quick 4-0 lead after three innings against SDSU starter Bret Seeburger and reliever Cody Thompson.
The Aztecs got on the board with a run in their half of the fifth on an RBI single by Danny Sheehan. The next inning, however, would be the turning point for the home team as it scored four unearned runs to take its first lead of the night at 5-4.
In that sixth inning rally, SDSU recorded the four runs on just two hits, three walks and an error. After the Aztecs loaded the bases with two outs courtesy of an error and a pair of walks, another base on balls to Chase Calabuig made it a 4-2 contest. Pallares then lined a single to center to bring home two more and knot the score at 4-4. A single by Sheehan put runners at first and third before a balk by San Jose pitcher Turtle Kuhualua gave SDSU its first lead of the contest.
The Spartans would tie the game at 5-5 in the top of the eighth, but the Aztecs rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. Calabuig reached on a two-out error and Pallares doubled to left before Sheehan came through with the two-RBI single to left.
Saylor would again come on in the ninth to close out the contest, and after conceding a leadoff single got a double play grounder and a fly ball to center to end the game. He was credited with his sixth save of the season. The win went to Zack Oakley (3-0), who tossed a third of an inning of relief and was the beneficiary of his team's rally in the bottom of the eighth.
Pallares and Brown finished the day with four hits apiece over the two games. Both Pallares and Sheehan accounted for three RBI while Zavala ended the twin bill with three hits, two RBI and a run scored.
San Diego State and San Jose State will conclude their three-game weekend series on Saturday (Feb. 28) with a contest scheduled to get underway at 1:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.