SAN DIEGO – San Diego State was unable to keep pace with visiting UNLV on Sunday, dropping a 14-5 decision in the rubber game of a Mountain West weekend series at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
The Aztecs (11-24, 5-13 MW) forged an early 2-0 lead in the second inning when Josh Quezada belted his first collegiate home run after Jacob McCombs ripped a one-out double to right field.
However, the Rebels (19-16, 7-11 MW) scored 10 straight runs to seize momentum and claim the series victory.
The two teams totaled 11 extra-bases hits on a blustery afternoon, including a pair of home runs by UNLV's Rylan Charles, while Bailey Seeger, Chase Ditmar and JP Hefft each tripled, combining for six RBIs.
The Rebels' Brendan O'Sullivan led all players with four hits, including a two-run double, while Charles and Ditmar finished with three hits and three RBIs.
Finley Bates also got into the act for the Scarlet and Black with his third homer of the year, a solo shot to lead off the seventh, while Jake Jackson followed with an RBI triple.
Reliever Sam Simon (4-3) picked up the win for UNLV, yielding one run on four hits and three walks after taking over for starter Carson Lane with out in the third. Lane pitched 2 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a pair of walks.
On the flip side, Xavier Cardenas III (1-5) was tagged with the loss after tossing three-plus innings, allowing six runs on five hits and six walks.
After Quezada went deep to give the Aztecs an early advantage, the Rebels countered with four runs in the top of the third to take the lead for good.
Charles led off the frame with a blast over the fence in right, while Hefft and Parker Schmidt circled the bases on a double to left center by O'Sullivan, who promptly scored on Ditmar's single to left. Previously, Hefft drew a walk, while Schmidt reached on a single to right following Kade Higgins' strikeout and Austin Kryszczuk's flyout.
After the Rebels plated two runs in each of the next three innings, SDSU broke its scoring drought in the bottom of the sixth when Jackson walked and later scored on Quezada's double-play grounder.
Trailing 10-3, the Aztecs entertained hopes of a comeback after Bates' leadoff homer in the seventh, followed by Jackson's triple to the corner in right, which brought home Shaun Montoya, who previously walked.
However, UNLV scored four consecutive runs in the late innings to keep the Scarlet and Black at bay.
Ditmar knocked in O'Sullivan with a two-run triple to right center in the eighth, while Hefft duplicated the feat in the ninth with a three-bagger of his own, which plated Charles and Paul Myro IV. Hefft later crossed the plate on Higgins' sacrifice fly, which closed out the scoring.
McCombs led the Aztecs with three hits, while Montoya and Brady Lavoie finished with two apiece in the loss.
Jadon Bercovich, who pitched the final two innings for SDSU, posted his second-highest total of the season with five strikeouts after Dylan Hawkes fanned a pair of batters in the seventh.
UP NEXT
San Diego State returns to the diamond on Tuesday, April 16, when it travels up the freeway for a rematch against Long Beach State at Blair Field in Long Beach, Calif. Game time is set for 6 p.m. PT, and the contest will air live on ESPN+.
Aztecs Drop Series Finale to UNLV
