SAN DIEGO – Buoyed by Brian Leonhardt's grand slam, San Diego State held on for a wild 12-11 victory over Oregon State Sunday in the finale of a weekend series at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
Wyatt Hendrie also went deep for the Aztecs with a solo shot, while Jaden Fein contributed a key two-run single, helping the Scarlet and Black raise its record to 8-4 on the year and hand the Beavers (5-6) their second straight defeat.
Leonhardt, Fein, Hendrie, Jacob Cruce and Ryan Orr finished with two hits apiece, while Matt Rudick tripled and scored to bolster the SDSU offense.
Trailing 6-2 in the bottom of the fourth, the Aztecs loaded the bases on alternating singles by Orr, Cruce and Fein with a pair of strikeouts sprinkled in between. Leonhardt then stepped up to the plate and blasted a 1-1 pitched from OSU reliever Jake Mulholland to tie the score.
SDSU tacked on two more runs in the fifth when Rudick tripled over the head of Beaver centerfielder Micah McDowell and promptly scored on a wild pitch. Shortly thereafter, Casey Schmitt doubled to left and eventually touched home following an Orr single and a sacrifice fly by Anthony Walters.
The Aztecs upped their advantage to 9-6 when Hendrie blasted his first home run in a Scarlet and Black uniform on the second pitch of the inning.
San Diego State plated three additional runs in the seventh, highlighted by Fein's two-out single that knocked in Walters and pinch runner David Alamillo, who entered the contest after Cruce's ground rule double, which knocked in Schmitt.
Following a popout, Walters reached on a single through the right side, while Cruce laced a 1-2 pitch to the left-field corner, which brought home Schmitt, who earlier drew a one-out walk.
Hendrie quickly walked to load the bases once again before Fein stepped to the plate and smacked an 0-2 pitch to center, giving the Aztecs a seemingly comfortable 12-6 cushion.
However, the Beavers narrowed the gap with five markers in the eighth, highlighted by Alex McGarry's two-run double. Kyler McMahan and Preston Jones also contributed RBIs, while Joe Casey added a sacrifice fly.
Schmitt, who moved from third to the pitcher's mound, gave up two runs in the eighth, but came back in the ninth and retired the side in order to secure his fifth save of the year.
The Beavers out-hit the Aztecs 15-13 on the afternoon, including homers by Matthew Gretler and McGarry, which accounted for all five of the visitors' runs in the fourth. Gretler's dinger was a two-run shot to left-center, while McGarry's swing plated three more to give OSU a 6-2 lead at the time.
Despite allowing two runs on three hits and one walk, Jacob Flores (2-0) was credited with the victory after relieving Aaron Eden with one out in the fourth. Eden pitched 3 1/3 innings, yielding four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four. Tre Brown held the Beavers scoreless in his two-inning stint, walking two and striking out one before giving way to Casey O'Sullivan to start the eighth.
Conversely, Mulholland (0-2) was tagged with the loss after surrendering six runs on six hits in two innings in relief of Will Frisch, who gave up two runs on two hits with a walk in his two-inning start.
San Diego State returns to action on Tuesday, March 3, when it plays host to Long Beach State at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Game time is set for 6 p.m. PT.
Aztecs Prevail Over Oregon State in 12-11 Thriller
