March 18, 2017
San Diego State used a 15-hit attack along with some solid pitching as it defeated UNLV 10-5, Saturday afternoon at Tony Gwynn Stadium. With the win, the Aztecs evened the weekend series with the Rebels at a game apiece while improving their record to 12-7 overall and 3-2 in Mountain West play.
Senior Dominic Purpura remained perfect on the year as he improved to 4-0 after being credited with the victory. The lefty from Hinsdale, Ill., went 6.1 innings allowing three runs on six hits.
Although he had runners on base in every inning but one, Purpura was never threatened until the top of the seventh when the Rebels (10-10, 5-3 MW) struck four the three runs on four hits and a walk. He was removed from the game one inning later surrendering a one-out double in the top of the seventh.
On the offensive side, meanwhile, SDSU opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Chase Calabuig's double, the first of his three extra-base hits on the afternoon, was followed by an RBI single from Alan Trejo, who advanced to second on the throw to the plate. Andrew Brown then lined a single to center to score Trejo to make it a 2-0 Aztec advantage.
San Diego State added four more runs two innings later on four hits and a hit batter. Calabuig doubled with one away, and after a fly ball out, the home side strung together a hit batter, two singles and a double to up its lead to 6-0. RBI in the framed came from Danny Sheehan (single), Jordan Verdon (single) and Tyler Adkison (double).
UNLV halved the SDSU lead with the three off Purpura in its half of the sixth, but the Aztecs countered in the bottom of the inning with a run of its own. Calabuig tripled to right center and scored on Trejo's infield single to make it 7-3.
After Adkison's solo home run in the seventh upped SDSU's lead to 8-3, the visitors scored a pair of consolation runs in the top of the eighth to close within three. SDSU, however, would add two more of its own in the bottom of the inning on three hits and a UNLV fielding error for the final 10-5 score line.
Calabuig (two 2B, 3B, 3 runs scored), Adkison (double, HR, 3 RBI) and Trejo (two RBI, two runs scored) ended the day with three hits apiece. In addition, Brown (RBI, run scored) and Sheehan (RBI, two runs scored) had two singles each in the contest.
UNLV and San Diego state will play the rubber game of their weekend series on Sunday, March 19, with the contest slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.