Aztecs sweep Toreros in 3-game series

The battle of the cross-town rivals is over for the weekend and it wasn’t really a battle at all. The San Diego Toreros opened their new stadium this weekend in hopes of breaking it in the right way. After the weekend was all said and done with, they’ll have to wait to celebrate their first win of the season on their new field. The Aztecs won the three-game series by a total score of 17-6.

In game one, the Aztecs lineup jumped on Toreros pitcher Dylan Covey and tagged him for six runs in only three innings. Second baseman Tim Zier led the Aztecs with three doubles and three RBIs while DH Brand Haynal also added three hits and two RBIs. Outfielder Greg Allen added a nice 4 for 5 game also as the Aztecs put 14 hits on the board. Michael Cederoth pitched an outstanding game, not giving up a hit until the 4th inning. For the Toreros, Logan Davis was the only real bright spot. The shortstop went 3 for 3 with a walk.

You can catch the complete action from game one here.

Mandatory Credit: usdtoreros.cstv.com

In game two, the game as a little tighter. San Diego State started off strong again, putting up two runs in the first inning on two singles. They added another run in the 5th when Zier doubled into the left field corner but USD started to chip away with a score of their own in the bottom of the 5th. Things were looking good for the Aztecs going into the 9th inning with a two-run lead. Freshman closer Bubba Derby stepped on the mound for the first time with the Aztecs to close the game out. The Toreros took advantage of the newcomer and put two men in scoring position after a single and double. SDSU countered that with a strikeout and then the play that solidified the game for the Aztecs. Austin Bailey hit a pretty routine ground ball down the first base line. The Aztecs first baseman stepped on first and typically with a play like that, the runner from third comes in and that’s that. No harm there, they’re still up by one run. But that’s not what happened.

SDSU Aztec middle infielder Tim Zier.

Mandatory Credit: goaztec.cstv.com

Grant Melker was brought in to pinch run at third, only he didn’t do his job. He didn’t run. Meanwhile, Louie Lechich took off for third base. Melker had no choice but to run home so he took off, creating an old fashioned game of pickle. The Toreros ultimatley lost that little game and lost the baseball game as a result, falling to 0-2 for the weekend. Zier had another good game, going 2 for 4 with two RBIs. USD struggled at the plate again, only picking up five hits. Bailey went 1 for 3 as a pinch hitter and set the Toreros up to win but things didn’t go their way. Ethan Miller picked up the win, Derby got his first career save, and Michael Wagner got the loss in 6.0 hard innings of work. The Aztecs won 4-2.

Game three would fare no better for the Toreros. Even though they outhit the Aztecs, they still managed to lose. Zier played strong again, plating the first two runs for the Aztecs in the third inning on a single to left field. The Aztecs played dink and dunk baseball, scattering three more runs en route to a 5-3 victory. Again, the Toreros had a chance to win it in the bottom of the 9th. With the bases loaded, the Aztecs turned to Derby for the second night in a row. He struck out the side in the face of adversity to pick up his second career save. Ryan Doran picked up the 5-3 win for the Aztecs as Max MacNabb got the loss for the Toreros.

For the series, Zier led the way, going 6 for 13 with six RBIs.

The Aztecs are back in action on Thursday night at 9:00 pm ET (6:00 pm PT) as they welcome in another ranked team, sixth-ranked Oklahoma State to Tony Gwynn Stadium.

The Toreros will open up a four-game series against Kent State on Friday at 9:00 pm ET (6:00 pm PT) at Fowler Park.