April 9, 2017
San Diego State rallied for six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to overturn a one-run deficit as it defeated Nevada, 7-2, Sunday afternoon at Tony Gwynn Stadium. With the victory, the Aztecs claimed the weekend series after splitting the first two contests and have won six of their eight games against the Wolf Pack in 2017.
The first half of the contest was a pitching duel between Nevada's Riley Ohl and SDSU's Coy Thompson. The Aztecs (23-10, 11-4 MW) had chances over the first five frames, but ended up leaving seven men on base including two on three occasions. Thompson appeared more in control as he allowed just a single and hit batter during that same span.
It appeared the Aztecs would pay for their inability to cash in on their opportunities when the visitors struck for a pair of runs in the top of the sixth.
Jordan Pearce led off the frame with a solo home run to right. That was followed by a two-out double by Grant Fennel and RBI single by Dillan Shrum that gave the Wolf Pac (9-24, 5-10 MW) a 2-0 lead.
SDSU responded in the bottom of the same inning when Tyler Adkison connected for his eighth home run of the year, a solo shot over the left field fence to make it a 2-1 contest.
That score held up until the bottom of the eighth when San Diego State was able to tie the game and more. Chase Calabuig led off with a single and advanced to second on Jacob Maekawa's sacrifice bunt. Pinch hitter Dean Nevarez then lined a single up the middle to bring home Calabuig and tie the contest at 2-2. But the Aztecs were just getting started.
A single by David Hensley put runners at first and third, and when Alan Trejo was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out, it brought up Andrew Brown in a similar situation to one he faced on Saturday. This time, however, Brown lashed a single through the right side to drive home two runs and give the home side a 4-2 lead. Danny Sheehan and Jordan Verdon added RBI singles with another run scoring on a wild pitch. When the dust settled, the Aztecs held a 7-2 advantage.
On the mound, Alan Trejo (1-1) would pick up the win, his first of the season. The junior right-hander tossed the seventh and eighth frames, allowing only a two-out single in the seventh. Trejo also had an excellent day at the plate as he went 3-for-3 with a pair of walks and a run scored.
Sheehan and Verdon ended the afternoon with two hits apiece along with an RBI each. Brown had the clutch two-run single and also scored once.
San Diego State will now take a short break from Mountain West action as it gets set to host UC Irvine on Tuesday (April 11) for a contest slated to begin at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.