Feb. 16, 2003
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Santa Clara University baseball team concluded its three-game weekend series with San Diego State with a 9-3 loss Sunday afternoon in front of 1,019 at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
For the third day in a row the Broncos jumped out to a lead after the top half of the first inning, this time scoring two times on three hits for a 2-0 lead after one half inning of play. Joe Diefenderfer and A.J. LaBarbera each started the game with a hit and would later score. Diefenderfer was plated on a Scott Shapiro groundout while LaBarbera came home on a David Mandley single to right center field.
Santa Clara's early lead was quickly erased in the bottom half of the first inning as the Aztecs scored four times on three hits to claim a 4-2 lead after the first full inning of play. Rielly Embrey's two-run single up the middle gave SDSU the lead, but it was a balk by SCU starter John Redmond that allowed Jake McLintock to score the tying run. Redmond had two balks in the inning that proved costly as all four runners who scored moved up at least one base on a balk.
The Broncos cut the San Diego State lead in half in the third inning as Diefenderfer led off with a double and moved to third when LaBarbera grounded out to the second baseman. Jason Matteucci stepped to the plate and drove in Deifenderfer with a sacrifice fly ball to right field.
The Aztecs bounced right back in the bottom half of the third inning as Jordan Swaydan delivered a one out solo home run to right field off of Redmond. The hit was the second of the game for Swaydan who also picked up his second RBI of the game. After Brian Kinsman grounded out and Embrey walked, Curt Mendoza increased the SDSU lead to 6-3 with an RBI triple to right center, scroing Embrey and forcing SCU to go to its bullpen, removing Redmond in favor of Chad Fillinger.
San Diego State increased its lead in the bottom half of the fourth inning as Peter Stonard singled and came home on a McLintock home run to left field that pushed the Aztec lead to 8-3.
The Aztecs added to the lead again in the fifth inning as Embrey connected on the team's third home run of the game, a lead-off solo blast to right center, giving SDSU a 9-3 lead after five full innings. After Mendoza singled the very next at bat, Santa Clara went to the bullpen again, brining in Scott Shapiro to relieve Fillinger. Shapiro walked the first batter he faced before retiring the next three, including a strikeout of Guerrero.
After Shapiro got the first two outs in the seventh inning Patrick Overholt came in and threw the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing no runs on no hits with one strikeout and two walks.
Ben Coon picked up the win for SDSU after throwing seven full innings in which he allowed three runs on seven hits, only one of which came after the third inning. Ryan Heil threw the eighth inning before giving way to Mark Esparza who recorded the final three outs in the ninth inning.
John Redmond fell to 1-2 on the season for the Broncos after allowing six runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings of work.
The Broncos fell to 6-6 on the season while the Aztecs improved to 5-5. Santa Clara returns to action next weekend as they take on UC Santa Barbara in a three-game series in Santa Barbara, Calif.