SAN DIEGO – For the second game in a row, San Diego State gave No. 7/6 Stanford all it could handle; however, the Aztecs were unable to capitalize on several scoring chances on Sunday in a 6-4 defeat at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
With the score tied at 4-4, the Cardinal (23-12) plated the decisive runs in the top of the ninth on a two-run triple with two outs to hand SDSU (11-30) another hard-fought loss.
The Aztecs faced a pair of three-run deficits, including a 4-1 spread entering the fifth, but managed to trim the margin with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Irvin Weems led off with a double down the right-field line, advancing on Shaun Montoya's sacrifice bunt before racing home on Poncho Ruiz's infield single. Moments later, Cole Carrigg stepped to the plate and roped an RBI double to the wall in the right field, which pulled the Scarlet and and Black to within 4-3.
However, the SDSU shortstop was left stranded after Stanford reliever Tommy O' Rourke entered and prevented further damage by inducing a fly ball and a groundout, setting a frustrating tone for the Aztecs the rest of the game.
SDSU put two runners aboard in the sixth after Deron Johnson reached on a two-base error, while Tino Bethancourt was hit by a pitch. Caden Miller followed with a sacrifice, but O'Rourke fought himself off the ropes once again with consecutive strikeouts.
The Aztecs finally tallied the equalizer in the seventh when Carrigg singled home Ruiz, who previously singled and stole second. However, the Scarlet and Black squandered another opportunity to plate more runs.
After Carrigg was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a double, the Cardinal changed pitchers once again, but reliever Cody Jensen was given the quick hook himself after issuing a pair of walks to Brian Leonhardt and Xavier Carter. Ryan Bruno entered at this juncture and was the beneficiary of a double-play grounder, as Stanford wiggled free of further trouble.
SDSU threatened in the eighth when Bethancourt drew a leadoff walk and took second on Miller's sacrifice. The Aztecs were denied once again, as Bruno fanned two straight batters to get out of the jam.
In the top of the ninth, Eddie Park singled through the right side and was bunted over to second before the Scarlet and Black replaced Jonny Guzman with Kelena Sauer, who retired Brock Jones on a flyout, while Carter Graham kept the inning alive with a walk. Brett Barrera followed with a triple to right center on a 2-1 pitch, giving the Cardinal a 6-4 advantage.
Bruno (3-0) set the Aztecs down in order in their half of the inning on a pair of strikeouts, sandwiched around a grounder, to secure his third victory of the season. The Stanford left-hander pitched 2 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings, offsetting one walk with four strikeouts.
Conversely, Guzman (1-3) was charged with the go-ahead in the ninth and took the loss. Chris Canada made his fourth consecutive start for SDSU, yielding four runs on seven hits and two walks against two strikeouts in five innings of work before giving way to Ricky Tibbett, who surrendered just one walk in two scoreless innings.
Graham put the Cardinal on the board with a two-run homer in the first, while Adam Crampton plated Tommy Troy with an RBI triple in the third to extend the visitors' lead to 3-1.
SDSU finally broke through with a run in third when Montoya trotted home on a balk, while Stanford responded with a marker in the fourth as Troy scored from third on a throwing error by the cut-off man after Crampton singled to center.
Barerra led all players with three hits for the Cardinal, while Ruiz and Carrigg (2 RBIs) finished with two apiece for the Aztecs.
The teams combined to strand 18 runners for the game, including 10 by SDSU.
San Diego State returns to the diamond on Tuesday, April 26, when it travels up the freeway to face Long Beach State, starting at 6 p.m. PT.
No. 7/6 Stanford Sinks Aztecs With Two Late Runs
