March 25, 2016
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - New Mexico scored four runs over the final three innings to erase a 1-0 deficit en route to a 4-2 victory over San Diego State Friday evening at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The Aztecs got another good effort from the pitching staff, but were unable to generate much in the way of offense despite finishing the contest with nine hits.
San Diego State (4-16, 1-5 Mountain West) broke up a tight pitching duel between New Mexico starter Carson Schneider and Aztec redshirt freshman Harrison Pyatt by scoring the first run of the night in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Catcher Hunter Stratton opened the frame with a single to right and advanced to second on Justin Wylie's sacrifice bunt. An ensuing single by David Hensley put runners at first and third before Alan Trejo's grounder to second brought home Wylie to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
New Mexico (15-7, 7-1 MW), however, wasted little time in answering. After getting the first out in the top of the seventh, Pyatt surrendered a walk and double to put men and second and third with one out. That would be the end of his night as junior left Jacob Erickson was summoned from the Aztec bullpen.
Erickson struck out the first batter he faced, but then gave up a two-out double that plated both runners and gave UNM the lead at 2-1. Those two runs were charged to Harrison, who ended his night having tossed 6.1 innings allowing the two runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts as he took the loss to fall to 0-2 on the season.
The visitors added another run in their half of the eighth on a triple and single against Erickson and finished off their scoring with a marker in the ninth on a pair of singles sandwiched around a base on balls to make it a 4-1 contest.
SDSU added a run to its total in the bottom of the ninth as freshman Dean Nevarez connected for his second home run of the year, a blast over the left field fence.
Nevarez's round tripper came against New Mexico's Schneider (2-0), who would toss a complete-game victory allowing just two runs on nine hits while walking none and striking out five.
David Hensley finished with two singles and a sacrifice bunt for the Aztecs while teammate Spencer Thornton also recorded a pair of singles.
New Mexico and San Diego State will wrap up their weekend series on Saturday, March 26, with a contest scheduled to get underway on at 1:00 p.m. (PT) at Tony Gwynn Stadium.