March 25, 2017
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
San Diego State captured both ends of a doubleheader against Fresno State at Beiden Field on Saturday to take sole possession of second place in the Mountain West. The Aztecs began the day with a close 5-4 win over the Bulldogs before cruising to a 12-0 victory in the nightcap behind a one-hit shutout effort by Brett Seeburger and Marcus Reyes.
With the victories, SDSU improved to 16-7 overall and 6-2 in the Mountain West as it grabbed sole possession of second place in the league standings behind New Mexico (8-0). The losses dropped the Bulldogs (12-10 overall) into fourth place in the conference standings with a 4-4 league record.
In the opener, San Diego State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on an RBI single by Dean Nevarez, the first of his three hits in the contest.
Fresno State, however, responded with two in the bottom of the same frame and went on to take a 4-2 lead after six full innings. All four Bulldogs runs came against SDSU starting pitcher Dominic Purpura, who surrendered those markers on eight hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts, the senior lefty would depart the contest after six inning and would not be involved in the decision.
The Aztecs tied the game with two runs in the top of the eighth as a single by Danny Sheehan and walk to Jordan Verdon along with a passed ball and wild pitch helped produce runs on infield ground outs by Tyler Adkison and Andrew Martinez.
SDSU got what proved to be the winning run in its half of the eighth when Alan Trejo doubled, advanced to third out a ground out by Andrew Brown and scored on a sacrifice fly by Sheehan.
Jacob Erickson, who had come on to pitch in the bottom of the seventh, tossed two perfect innings and would be credited with the win to improve to 3-1. Closer CJ Saylor tossed the final frame allowing a lone single to record his fifth save of the season.
The nightcap was all about the pitching of Seeburger and an offense that pounded out 16 hits including three home runs.
Seeburger, who would claim the win to move his record to 4-1, went the first eight innings, allowing no runs on one hit with no walks and a season-high seven strikeouts. He faced one batter over the minimum with FSU's lone base runner coming on an infield single in the bottom of the sixth.
Senior Marcus Reyes would retire the side in order in the last of the ninth to complete the one-hitter.
Offensively, the Aztecs jumped on FSU starter Rickey Ramirez for five runs in the top of the second on five hits and a sacrifice fly. Included among the hits was a three-run home by Chase Calabuig with the other two RBI provided by a Martinez single to left and sac fly by Nevarez.
SDSU added two more in the next frame on another long ball. This time it was a two-run shot by Adkison, his team-leading seventh homer of the season.
Sheehan's RBI single in the next innings followed two-out hits by Trejo and Andre Brown to give the visitors an 8-0 lead after four.
The Aztecs capped off the scoring with a four-run eighth inning highlighted by a three-run home off the bat 7of Jordan Verdon, his third of the year.
Over the two games Sheehan went 5-for-9 with a double, two RBI and three runs scored While Nevarez was 4-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Calabuig led the team in RBI with four on the day while Verdon and Adkison tallied three apiece.
San Diego State will wrap up its three-game series at Fresno State on Sunday (March 26) with a contest scheduled to get underway at 1:05 p.m. at Pete Beiden Field.