May 4, 2018
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The San Diego State baseball team won its road series opener against Mountain West foe New Mexico, 11-5, on Friday night. SDSU extends its winning streak to seven games and improves to 32-14 (14-7) on the year, while New Mexico drops to 15-29-1 (8-17 MW). With Nevada's 4-2 win over Fresno State on Friday night, the Aztecs remain a game back of first place in the Mountain West standings.
For the second time in his last five starts, SDSU starter Harrison Pyatt took a no-hitter bid into the seventh inning to help pave the way for his fourth win of the season. Pyatt's chance at a no-hitter was halted with one out in the seventh inning after UNM's Dan Zakosek doubled down the left field line.
Pyatt finished his day with only two hits and four earned runs allowed while striking out six and walking two.
The Aztec lineup presented a persistent attack, having scored in eight of a possible nine frames. The Aztecs posted a single run in the first, second, third, fourth, and sixth innings to gain a 5-1 advantage heading to the later stages of the game.
The Aztecs broke things open in the seventh and eighth, posting five runs over that span to gain a 10-5 lead. Jordan Verdon posted a two-run homer for his team-leading 10th home run of the year in the top of the seventh, while Matt Rudick and Chase Calabuig both posted RBI singles in the top of the eighth.
Christian Winston collected his first save of the season in his most impressive outing of the year, posting 2.2 innings of hitless relief. The freshman retired eight of the nine batters he faced and finished his evening with one strikeout and one walk allowed.
Five Aztecs posted multi-hit performances, including Matt Rudick (3-for-6, 3 RBI), Chase Calabuig (3-for-5, RBI), Jordan Verdon (3-for-4, 3 RBI), and Jacob Maekawa (3-for-5, 2 RBI), who all contributed three hits each. Casey Schmitt also logged a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-4 with a game-high three runs scored.
NOTES
- San Diego State's current seven-game winning streak is tied for the longest since the start of the 1998 season. The last time SDSU won eight games in a row came in 1997 when SDSU won 12 consecutive games from Feb. 6 - March 5, 1997.
- SDSU has outscored its opponents 57-20 over its current seven-game winning streak.
- Over his last five starts, Harrison Pyatt owns a 1.84 earned run average, having allowed just six earned runs over his last 29.1 innings pitched when starting.
- SDSU's two hits allowed ties its season low. SDSU also allowed two hits in its 5-1 victory over Long Beach State on April 3.
- Chase Calabuig extended his on-base streak to a team-best 16 games, while Julian Escobedo also extended his Mountain West on-base streak to 16 games.
UP NEXT
SDSU goes for its fourth consecutive series win in tomorrow's middle game against UNM. Logan Boyer will make the start for SDSU in Saturday's contest scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. MT.