March 28, 2015
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - San Diego State built a five-run lead midway through the game and held on to defeat UNLV, 7-6, Saturday afternoon at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas. The win was SDSU's sixth in its last seven outings as it improved to 21-6 overall and 9-2 in the Mountain West.
After the Rebels (12-13, 2-9 MW) took a quick lead with a run in the bottom of the first, the Aztecs answered with a pair for runs in their half of the third. Those runs came courtesy of a two-run double by freshman Chase Calabuig that staked SDSU to a 2-1 lead.
San Diego State added four runs in the next frame to go up 6-1. Ty France singled home the first run of the inning before Seby Zavala capped of the scoring with a three-run home run to left, his team-leading fifth of the season.
Aztec starting pitcher Mark Seyler, meanwhile, was keeping the UNLV offense in check before he departed the contest after 5.2 innings. He would leave the game having surrendered three runs (two earned) on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He would eventually be credited with the win to up his season record to 6-1.
Leading 6-3, SDSU added its final run in the top of the eighth on Justin Wylie's solo home runs to left, his first round-tripper as an Aztec. That run would prove crucial as the Rebels scored three times in the bottom of the frame to close to within a run at 7-6.
Closer CJ Saylor pitched SDSU out of trouble in that eighth inning and came back to finish off the game with a shutout ninth. UNLV did put two men on with two outs, but Saylor got the final out on a fly ball to right to nail down the win in a nervy finish. The result gave the junior right-hander his ninth save of the year.
France was the lone Aztec to record more than one hit on the day as he finished with two singles, an RBI and one run scored.
San Diego State and UNLV will wrap up their three-game series on Sunday, March 29, with a contest scheduled to begin at 1:05 p.m. in Las Vegas.