May 12, 2018
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State baseball team swept San Jose State in a Saturday doubleheader at Tony Gwynn Stadium, using a complete game by Justin Goossen-Brown in a 2-1 victory in game 1 before the bats broke things open in the nightcap in a 16-4 win.
SDSU (35-16, 17-9 Mountain West) now trails first-place Nevada in the Mountain West standings by a half-game after the Wolf Pack lost at UNLV, 8-1.
Game 1: SDSU 2, SJSU 1
Justin Goossen-Brown pitched SDSU's first complete game of the 2018 season, pitching eight shutout innings before allowing a solo home run in the ninth to earn his fifth win of the season. Goossen-Brown finished his 107-pitch gem with six hits and one run allowed while striking out four and walking one.
Chad Bible broke a scoreless tie for SDSU in the top of the seventh, belting his ninth home run of the year over the wall in left-center field. The Aztecs added what proved to be a very much needed insurance later in the inning, with David Hensley scoring Casey Schmitt on a sacrifice fly to right field for a 2-0 lead.
SJSU's lone run came on a solo home run by first baseman Shane Timmons with two outs in the ninth inning.
Bible led the offense in the game 1, posting a game-high three hits in a 3-for-4 showing at the plate.
Game 2: SDSU 16, SJSU 4
In the nightcap, SDSU broke things open with a 20-hit barrage against the Spartans, including four-hit performances by both David Hensley and Chase Calabuig. SDSU scored in each of its last six turns at bat, including four-run outbursts in the sixth and eighth innings.
The scoring started in the third inning with Hensley hitting an RBI single before later scoring on a wild pitch for an early 2-0 Aztec advantage. Jordan Verdon capped the third-inning scoring with an RBI double down the right-field line that allowed Chase Calabuig to score.
SJSU tied the game with a three-run home an inning later, but SDSU quickly regained its lead, using a Ryan Orr RBI single to take a 4-3 lead. The Aztecs did not look back from that point, as a four-run sixth inning featuring RBI singles by Verdon and Calabuig gave the Aztecs an 8-3 lead heading into the later stages of the game.
Garrett Hill earned his seventh win of the season, pitching six innings with eight hits and four runs allowed while striking out five. Adrian Mardueno turned in one of his most dominant outings of the season, setting a new career-high with five strikeouts in two innings of shutout relief.
Logan Boyer posted a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the Aztecs to seal its 16-4 win.
Nine different Aztecs recorded at least one hit, led by four-hit performances by Hensley (4-for-6) and Calabuig (4-for-6) and three-hit showings by Matt Rudick (3-for-5) and Jordan Verdon (3-for-5). As a unit, the 1-4 hitters of Rudick, Hensley, Calabuig and Verdon combined to go 14-for-22 (.637) with three doubles, 10 runs scored, and 11 RBIs. Hensley set a new career-high with five RBIs.
NOTES
- SDSU is 11-1 in its last 12 meetings against San Jose State. The Aztecs have outscored the Spartans 80-29 over that span.
- SDSU posted its fifth game scoring 15 or more runs this season, tying the most 15+ run games in a single season since the 2006 team recorded six 15+ run showings.
- SDSU is 10-2 in its last 12 games. Both losses over that span have come by a one-run margin.
- The Aztecs are 23-3 this season and have won nine consecutive games when scoring five or more runs this season.
- SDSU is 14-2 in games following a loss.
- The Aztecs are 15-4 this season and have won nine consecutive games when not committing an error.
- SDSU improves to 13-6 in one-run games this season.
- SDSU has won 82 consecutive games when leading after eight innings.
- Over his last 16.1 innings pitched, Justin Goossen-Brown has surrendered just two earned runs, good for a 0.55 earned run average over his last three appearances. Goossen-Brown's 3.13 earned run average is now the best on the team.
- With two doubles in the nightcap, Jordan Verdon brought his season total to 23, good for the most by an Aztec since Carlos Cota hit 26 in 2002. Verdon's 23 doubles are also tied for fourth-most in a single season in SDSU history.
- Chase Calabuig extended his home on-base streak to 50 games (extends Tony Gwynn Stadium record), his on-base streak to 21 games (best active streak on the team), and his hitting streak to 10 games (best active streak on the team). - Julian Escobedo extended his on-base streak to 13 games and his Mountain West on-base streak to a team season-best 21 games.
- Chase Calabuig posted his team-high 26th multi-hit performance after going 4-for-6 in Saturday's nightcap. 15 of Calabuig's 26 multi-hit games have come in conference play, which is also a team-high.
- The San Diego State bullpen has allowed one earned run over its last nine conference games (34.1 innings pitched), good for a 0.26 earned run average.
UP NEXT
San Diego State and San Jose State wrap up a four-game set tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Jorge Fernandez will take the ball for the Aztecs. Fans are encouraged to show up early for Senior Day festivities, as the Aztecs honor its seven seniors concluding their collegiate careers in 2018.