April 15, 2017
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - San Diego State took up from where it left off offensively in Friday night's win as it defeated UNLV, 16-3, Saturday afternoon at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in Las Vegas. The win was the 10th in the last 12 games for the Aztecs, who improved to 25-11 overall and 13-5 in the Mountain West.
After going down in order in each of the first two innings, SDSU put four runs on the board in the top of the third and by the end of the fifth had established a 14-0 lead.
The four-run third came on six hits and a walk against Rebel starter Garrett Poole. Back-to-back doubles to open the inning by Andrew Martinez and Dean Nevarez started the scoring, and the Aztecs also got an RBI single from Andrew Brown and a two-run homer by Danny Sheehan to make it 4-0.
The visitors added to their lead in the next frame on consecutive solo home runs by Martinez and Nevarez.
The fifth inning was the big one in the contest for SDSU, which scored eight times to up its advantage to 14-0. The Aztecs sent 12 men to the plate and got the most out of five hits, two walks and two hit batters in the frame. The big blows in the inning were a two-run double by Nevarez and a bases-loaded triple by Jordan Verdon that cleared the bases.
UNLV (13-24, 7-10 MW) got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, scoring a single run against Aztec starting hurler Dominic Purpura. It would be the only blemish on Purpura's line as he would toss seven full innings allowing the lone run on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts. In the process he would be credited with the win to improve to 6-0 in the year while lowering his earned run average to 2.85 overall and 2.32 in conference play.
The Rebels would pick up a pair of consolation runs in their half of the eighth inning against relieve Jacob Erickson before CJ Saylor finished off the contest by striking out the side in the bottom of the ninth.
San Diego State's final two runs came in the top of the final frame as Tyler Adkison belted a two-run homer to left field after Sheehan had doubled. It was the team-leading 10th homer of the year for the Aztec left fielder.
Outfielder David Hensley (2B, RBI, 2 runs scored) led SDSU's 16-hit attack with three singles and a double. Nevarez (2 2B, four RBI, 2 runs scored) and Adkison (HR, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored) tallied three hits apiece for the Aztecs while Verdon also drove in three runs.
San Diego State will now return home to prepare for a non-conference contest on Tuesday, April 18, at UC Riverside. That game is slated to get underway at 6:05 p.m. PT