SAN DIEGO – San Diego State steps out of conference this week when it plays host to UC Riverside on Tuesday, April 4 at Tony Gwynn Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. PT.
The Aztecs (10-13, 7-3 MW) captured all three games of a Mountain West road series at New Mexico last weekend and find themselves a half-game ahead of Fresno State (15-11, 7-4 MW) and San José State (13-10, 6-3 MW) atop the league standings.
After winning the opener on Friday, 5-3, SDSU scored two runs in the top of the ninth in game two on Saturday to edge the Lobos by a 3-1 count. In Sunday's finale, the Aztecs overcame a 7-5 deficit with 10 runs in the seventh inning and added four more markers in the eighth for a convincing 19-7 triumph.
With the results, SDSU completed its second straight sweep of UNM in Albuquerque and clinched their third consecutive series victory against a MW opponent.
In the final two games of the weekend, TJ Fondtain hit .556 (5-9) with a homer, five RBIs and three runs scored after pitching Friday's opener, during which he allowed just one run on four hits without a walk while posting seven strikeouts en route to his third victory of the season.
In addition, Poncho Ruiz started all three games against the Lobos and batted .538 (7-13) with a double, three RBIs, four runs scored and one stolen base over the weekend. The SDSU junior finished with multiple hits in all three contests, compiling a .571 on-base percentage, which topped the squad for all players with three starts.
As of April 2, the Aztecs lead the Mountain West with 1.70 stolen bases per game and 39 overall, which rank 49th and 78th in the nation, respectively. In addition, SDSU is slotted fourth in the conference with a .279 team batting average while occupying the fifth position in on-base percentage (.359) and runs scored (148).
Individually, Montoya leads the MW with 10 stolen bases, while his league-leading 0.45 stolen bases per ranks 96th in the country. In addition, Fondtain occupies the eighth spot in the conference in slugging percentage (.586), while Irvin Weems (.420) and Montoya (.417) rank eighth and ninth in on-base percentage, respectively.
Despite missing six games, Cole Carrigg leads the Aztecs with a .333 batting average, which ranks eighth in the MW, while Fondtain (14th, .314), Montoya (15th, .313) and Ruiz (20th, .309) find themselves among the conference top 20 in that statistic.
Elsewhere, Caden Miller and Cade Martinez are tied for third in the league with three sacrifice bunts apiece.
Entering the week, the SDSU pitching staff leads the Mountain West in fewest hits allowed (199) and is slotted second in team ERA (4.66) and opposing batting average (.256) while ranking third in strikeouts (224).
Kelena Sauer leads the conference with 11 games finished and is tied for second with five saves while sharing the fourth spot with teammate Eldridge Armstrong III with 12 pitching appearances.
UC Riverside (6-17, 0-6 Big West) has dropped 10 of its last 11 games, suffering a three-game sweep over the weekend at conference rival CSUN. The Highlanders were outscored 51-18 in their series with the Matadors, who also maintained a sizable 63-37 advantage in hits.
Offensively, UCR ranks ninth out of 11 Big West teams with a .265 batting average while occupying the basement in on-base percentage (.336), slugging percentage (.368) and RBIs (86).
Individually, the Highlanders are paced by junior infielder Anthony McFarland, who owns a team-high .322 batting average, while sophomore outfielder Jacob Badawi (.316) tops the squad with 24 hits, followed closely by senior catcher Jacob Shanks (.277), who has 23 to his credit.
In addition, Shanks is tied for third in the conference with seven stolen bases, while junior outfielder Alphonzo Mancinas has taken over the team lead with 11 RBIs.
As a staff, UCR pitchers have slid to the bottom of the Big West in ERA (7.44) and opposing batting average (.300) while ranking last in strikeouts (131).
Senior right-hander Cruz Barrios (4.43 ERA, 22.1 IP) and junior left-hander Jake Gebb (8.27 ERA, 16.1 IP) lead the squad with 11 appearances each.
The Aztecs will be looking to avenge a 3-1 setback to the Highlanders in Riverside on March 7. Montoya set a career high with three stolen bases, including one in the top of the first after bunting for a one-out base hit. Following a flyout, the SDSU sophomore advanced on a wild pitch and promptly scored when Ruiz singled to center.
However, that would be the lone run of the game for the Aztecs, who had runners thrown out at second on three other stolen base attempts, derailing potential scoring chances.
Eight SDSU pitchers each tossed one inning, including freshman Aidan Russell, who opened the contest, along with fellow classmates Sam Purgason and Xavier Cardenas III—all of whom made their first appearances in an Aztec uniform.
Despite the loss, SDSU still leads the all-time series vs. UCR, 41-28-2, with the teams first squaring off in 1968. The Aztecs twice defeated the Highlanders in consecutive weeks during the 2018 campaign, posting a big 19-1 victory in Riverside before completing the season sweep with an 8-6 triumph at Tony Gwynn Stadium. In the former contest, SDSU erupted for 23 hits, exploding for five runs in the fifth, sixth and ninth innings.
The Aztecs have won 38 of their last 59 games against Big West opponents, including a 2-1 setback at UC San Diego on March 28. Previously, the Scarlet and Black posted a 3-2 victory over Hawai'i on Feb. 27, the final day of the Tony Gwynn Legacy, after falling short to CSUN by a 7-5 tally in its home opener on Feb. 21.
Following Tuesday's encounter, San Diego State will travel up the freeway for a three-game series against USC, April 6-8, in Los Angeles. The Aztecs will square off with the Trojans on Thursday and Friday at 6:30 p.m. PT before concluding their set on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Aztecs Set to Host UCR on Tuesday Night
