SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State baseball team continues its lengthy homestand this week with a pair of games against Hawai'i and UC Irvine at Tony Gwynn Stadium on Monday and Tuesday night, respectively. First pitch for both contests is set for 6 p.m. PT.
The Aztecs won two of three games last weekend at their home tournament, the Tony Gwynn Legacy, to raise their record to 3-4 on the young season.
SDSU split its first two outings of the event, defeating the same Hawai'i squad by a 7-1 count last Friday before dropping a 4-0 decision to Utah the following night.
However, the Scarlet and Black rebounded with a thrilling 4-3 walk-off victory over the Utes in the rematch on Sunday.
Against the Rainbow Warriors, the Aztecs received a solid pitching performance from starter TJ Fondtain, who allowed just one unearned run on three hits and no walks while posting a career-high strikeouts. Offensively, Caden Miller (2 RBIs) and Johnny Giannola (2 runs) paced the SDSU offense with two hits apiece, as the Aztecs erupted for five runs in the bottom of the sixth to break open a 2-1 ballgame.
On Sunday, Brian Leonhardt supplied the heroics with a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh, with Kenny LeBeau and Miller racing home to set off a jubilant SDSU celebration behind home plate.
Entering the week, Miller finds himself among the MW leaders in several categories, including hits (T-4th - 10), batting average (T-5th - .385), stolen bases (T-5th - 2) and on-base percentage (8th -.448).
In addition, the Aztecs have received five RBIs apiece from Leonhardt and Poncho Ruiz, who have accounted for both of the team's home runs this year.
On the mound, Fondtain leads the league with a 0.87 ERA and is tied for third with a .143 opponent batting average while ranking fifth in strikeouts (12). In addition, Kelena Sauer and Jacob Flores are tied for third in the MW with 13 strikeouts apiece for the year, with the occupying the seventh spot with a .182 opponent batting average.
For his efforts against Hawai'i, Fondtain received Mountain West Pitcher of the Week recognition on Feb. 28.
Collectively, the Aztec staff tops the conference with 74 strikeouts while ranking third in ERA (4.73) and opposing batting average (.246).
Against the Rainbow Warriors on Monday, SDSU is expected to start Brian Leonhardt on the mound, while Tuesday's starter vs. UC Irvine is yet to be determined.
In 2021, Leonhardt made 15 pitching appearances, including seven starts, finishing with a 1-2 record with a 6.19 ERA and 24 strikeouts.
Hawai'i owns an identical 3-4 record after seven games this season thanks to an 8-4 triumph over Fresno State in the Tony Gwynn Legacy on Sunday. After suffering a 7-1 defeat at the hands of SDSU to open the tournament, the Warriors experienced a 9-3 setback to UNLV at Tony Gwynn Stadium on Saturday.
Outfielder Scotty Scott leads Hawai'i in several offensive categories thus far, including batting average (.381), hits (8), runs (6) and stolen bases (3), while infielder Aaron Ujimori tops the squad with five RBIs.
As a team, the Warriors rank third in the Big West with a 4.28 ERA while occupying the fourth spot with 70 strikeouts. Conversely, Hawai'i ranks sixth in the conference with 31 runs scored and eighth with a .221 team batting average.
Despite Friday's loss, the Warriors still lead the all-time series vs. SDSU 78-68. The Aztecs are 42-27 against Hawai'i in San Diego.
Aztecs Set for Monday Night Matchup vs. Hawai'i
