SAN DIEGO – Despite a late spirited rally, San Diego State fell short to Portland by a 7-6 count in 13 innings Saturday in the second game of a weekend series at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
The Aztecs (0-2) rallied from a 6-0 deficit by scoring three runs in both the eighth and ninth to tie the score and send the contest into extra frames.
SDSU had a chance to win in the 10th, but Tino Bethancourt was thrown out at the plate after trying to score from first on Evan Sipe's double. Earlier, Bethancourt reached on an error when pitcher Carter Gaston was unable to field a soft chopper to the right side of the mound.
Sipe roped a 1-2 offering to the gap in left-center, but Pilots' catcher Tyler Howard held on to the relay throw and applied the tag on Bethancourt, who slid head-first into the plate.
Later in the 13th, Christian Cooney provided the winning margin for Portland (2-0) with a solo home run to left off Jadon Bercovich, the Aztecs' sixth pitcher of the night.
Bercovich (0-1) struck out six hitters in four innings of work but was saddled with the loss. On the flip side, Gaston (1-0) picked up the victory, yielding just two hits in his four-inning appearance while fanning six batters of his own.
Omar Serrano started strong on the hill for the Scarlet and Black, striking out the side in the first inning but was lifted with one out in the fourth after giving up two runs on two hits and three walks. Serrano's counterpart Sam Stuhr tossed five scoreless frames, posting 12 strikeouts against two hits and two walks in his Pilot debut before yielding to five relievers.
Trailing 6-0, the Aztecs began their climb back into contention with three tallies in the eighth. Brady Lavoie doubled home Shaun Montoya and later scored on a wild pitch, while Sammy Kahler crossed the plate on Colby Turner's sacrifice fly. Previously, Montoya singled through the right side, while Kahler reached on fielding error at second.
With the deficit trimmed in half, SDSU knotted the score at 6-6 in the ninth when Lavoie's sharp bouncer to the right side was knocked down in the outfield grass by a diving Ben Patacsil, whose throw to first was late, allowing Jake Jackson to score from second. Just moments earlier, Jackson plated Bethancourt and Cade Martinez with a clutch two-run double to left. Bethancourt led off the inning with a walk, while Martinez singled to right following a liner to second.
The Aztecs still had two runners aboard with two outs, but Curtis Hebert induced a groundout to second to keep the game tied.
Montoya, Jackson, Lavoie and Martinez had two hits apiece for SDSU, while Portland's Cooney led all players with three hits and three RBIs, including a two-run single in the sixth.
The Aztecs utilized 10 freshmen for the night, including relievers Garvey Rumary and Evan Miranda, who tossed two scoreless innings apiece to keep the host school within striking distance. Rumary offset three hits with a trio of strikeouts, while Miranda fanned one hitter in his appearance.
San Diego State wraps up its three-game series with Portland on Sunday, beginning at noon PT.
Aztecs Edged by Portland, 7-6, in 13 innings
