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Aztecs survive Lobos’ late rally to record season-ending win
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo courtesy goaztecs.com
May 29, 2021 (Albuquerque) - San Diego State jumped out to a big lead at New Mexico on Saturday, withstanding a late Lobo rally to record an 11-10 victory in the regular-season finale for both teams at Santa Ana Star Field.
With the decision, the Aztecs (30-16, 22-14 MW), who were eliminated from Mountain West title contention on Friday, finished second in the conference race behind Nevada and compiled at least 30 wins for the seventh time in eight seasons, not including 2020 campaign that was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, SDSU reached the double-digit plateau in runs scored for the 20th time this year, finishing with an 18-2 record in that category. The Aztecs also out-hit New Mexico (16-25, 10-17 MW) for the afternoon by a 16-14 margin, raising their record to 24-6 for the season when totaling more hits than the opposition.
San Diego State established a season high with four triples as well, falling one shy of the program’s single-game record set vs. Point Loma Nazarene (2-10-87) and Western New Mexico (3-18-84).
Individually, six of the Aztecs’ nine offensive starters recorded multiple hits, including a game-high three by Jacob Cruce, followed by Mike Jarvis, Matt Rudick, Wyatt Hendrie, Poncho Ruiz and Carson Matthews with two apiece.
Jarvis, who tied his season high with four RBIs, extended his hitting streak to 16 games, posting multiple hits on 13 occasions during that stretch and in 29 games overall this senior. The Aztec senior accounted for four of the Scarlet and Black’s seven runs in a sixth- and seventh-inning surge, propelling the visitors to an 11-4 advantage.
In the sixth, Jarvis belted his fifth homer of the year, a two-run shot with two outs, before delivering a key two-run single with two outs in the seventh.
Matthews also went deep for the first time in an SDSU uniform, launching a solo shot of his own in the second that gave the Aztecs a 3-0 advantage. San Diego State also pushed across a run in the third when Rudick scored on Hendrie’s sacrifice fly.
However, the Lobos plated two markers in both the second and fourth innings to tie the score at 4-4. In the fourth, UNM capitalized on an Aztec error by scoring a two unearned runs.
Undaunted, SDSU vaulted in front for good in the sixth, 8-4, when Cruce led off with single and raced home on a triple by Ruiz, who subsequently touched the plate on a Caden Miller double before Jarvis went yard to chase Lobo starter Riley Egloff.
The Aztecs crafted a seemingly comfortable 11-4 cushion after recording three more tallies in the seventh. With two outs and the bases loaded, Ruiz trotted home when Miller drew a walk, while Jarvis soon followed with what proved to be a pivotal two-run single.
New Mexico would not go quietly, however, as the host school responded with five runs on five hits, one walk and one error in its half of the seventh to trim the margin to 11-9. The Lobos led off with four straight hits, capped by Kyler Castillo’s RBI single which chased reliever Ricky Tibbett, while Tresten Kennard followed with a bases-loaded walk. Moments later, Connor Mang lifted a sacrifice fly to left; Willie Cano hit an RBI grounder to shortstop, while Harry Fullerton knocked in Kennard with a triple to right center.
With momentum on their side, the Lobos tightened the score to 11-10 in the eighth when Shane Podsednik led off with a double and later scored on Castillo’s single through the right side.
The Aztecs, who managed just one hit in the last two innings, survived some anxious moments in the ninth when Cano and Mang each drew a walk. However, reliever Avery Jones induced three consecutive flyouts, allowing the Scarlet and Black to hang on.
In all, SDSU utilized four pitchers on the afternoon, with Tibbett (4-2) receiving credit for the victory despite allowing four runs on five hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings before giving way to Kyle Petri and Jones, respectively. Brian Leonhardt started on the bump for the Aztecs, yielding four runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings of work.
Conversely, New Mexico utilized five hurlers in the game, with Egloff (1-2) absorbing the loss after allowing eight runs on 11 hits with no walks against five strikeouts. His replacement Aaron Makil didn’t fare much better, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk in just one inning, while the trio of Matt Haley, Chezzare Gonzales and Cody Dye kept SDSU off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
Despite a dearth of hits, Lance Russell led the Lobos with three RBIs, while Castillo and Fullerton finished with two hits and a pair of RBIs each in the loss.
SDSU’s Hendrie, a semifinalist for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award, went 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored, ending the regular season with a 12-game hitting streak during which he raised his batting average from .331 to .379.
Meanwhile, Rudick reached base safely in all 43 games he made a plate appearance in, finishing the 2021 campaign as the Aztecs’ leader in batting average (.410), runs scored (61), on-base percentage (.484) and stolen bases (17).
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