SAN DIEGO – San Diego State concluded the 2023 Tony Gwynn Legacy in style with a dramatic 3-2 triumph over Hawai'i Monday evening at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
Pinch-hitter Maddox Haley singled home Poncho Ruiz with two outs in the bottom of the eighth for the eventual game-winning run to give the Aztecs (2-5) their second straight victory after opening the season with five consecutive defeats.
Ruiz sparked the decisive rally with a one-out single off Rainbow Warrior reliever Connor Harrison, while Caden Miller was plunked by new pitcher Tai Atkins moments later. Atkins promptly struck out TJ Fondtain, but Haley came through in the clutch, roping a 1-1 pitch through right side as Ruiz galloped home with the go-ahead marker.
SDSU survived some anxious moments in the ninth when Hawai'i (4-3) loaded the bases on consecutive one-out singles by Jared Quandt and Stone Miyao before Dallas Duarte was hit by a pitch. However, Aztec reliever Kelena Sauer struck out Nainoa Cardinez and Jordan Donahue swinging to earn his first save of the season.
The two sides were locked in a pitcher's duel for much of the game, with SDSU scoring the first run in the third when Shaun Montoya crossed the plate on Ruiz's two-out RBI single to right. Previously, Montoya reached on a fielder's choice and stole second.
The Aztecs' precarious 1-0 advantage held up thanks in large part to starter Jonny Guzman, who tied his season high with seven strikeouts, offsetting four walks and one hit in five innings of work.
Despite allowing two walks, reliever Ricky Tibbett entered and pitched through the sixth unscathed, inducing a groundout to escape trouble.
However, SDSU witnessed a reversal of fortune in the seventh when the Rainbow Warriors were gifted a pair of runs on passed balls to take a 2-1 lead.
Unfazed, the Aztecs quickly responded with Tino Bethancourt's first homer of the year, a solo shot to left, which knotted the score at 2-2, setting the stage for Haley's heroics in the eighth.
Eldridge Armstrong III (1-0) was credited with the victory, striking out two batters in 1 2/3 innings after entering for Tibbett with one out in the seventh, while Harrison (0-1) absorbed the loss.
Hawai'i starter Harrison Bodendorf and his successor each tossed 3 2/3 innings, combining for 11 strikeouts to counter six hits and four walks.
Ruiz and Bethancourt finished with two hits apiece to lead the Scarlet and Black, while Quandt totaled two in the loss for the Warriors.
San Diego State returns to the diamond this weekend when it ventures to the Silver State, March 3-5, for a three-game series at UNLV to open Mountain West play.
Aztecs Rally Past Hawai'i in 3-2 Thriller
