Texas El Paso Defeats Aztecs, 4-3

After a 4-3 loss to Texas El Paso in a Western Athletic Conference Southern Division baseball game at Smith Field Thursday night, San Diego State Coach Jim Dietz wasn’t in much of a mood to talk to anybody.

“He hasn’t been saying much, lately,” said Aztec left fielder Chris Gwynn, following the loss--SDSU’s fourth in five conference games this season--that dropped the Aztecs (33-18-1 overall) into last place in the WAC.

“I guess he figures that we all know what we’re not doing. It seems that if we pitch well, we don’t hit, and if we hit well, we don’t play defense. It’s been like that all season.”

Against the Miners, it was the failure of four SDSU relievers to hold a 2-2 tie in the late innings, and the failure of the Aztecs to get any timely hits (“The same old thing,” Gwynn said.).

The Miners rallied from a 2-0 deficit to go ahead, 3-2, in the top of the eighth inning. Roger Smith’s two-out double to left-center field off Aztec reliever Kevin Piper (4-2) scored Ken Williams.

UTEP scored again in the ninth inning on an RBI single by Brad Goodwin before SDSU scored a meaningless run in the bottom of the inning.

SDSU’s problems with clutch hitting were apparent in the fourth inning Thursday, when neither Scott Webb nor Rob Knowles could score Deron Johnson, who had reached third with one out.

The Aztecs also missed a chance to score in the seventh when Johnson was cut down at the plate trying to score after Knowles’ short fly ball to right field.

Miners’ catcher Jerry Ives made a fine play, short-hopping the throw and blocking the plate to tag out Johnson.

Meanwhile, Aztecs’ catalyst Steve Hill (37 stolen bases) continued to struggle, going 0 for 4 Thursday. Hill is now batting just .111 (2 for 18) in conference play.

The Aztecs had scored a run in the second and one in the fourth to take a 2-0 lead, but the Miners came back with a run in fifth and tied the game in the seventh on Kurt Knowles’ lead-off home run off Aztec starter Russ Elsberry.

Elsberry, who in his last start shut out the San Diego Padres on two hits over nine innings, lasted seven innings Thursday night, allowing six hits and two runs.

Meanwhile, Ed Tafoya pitched a complete game, allowing seven hits, to get the win for UTEP (2-3 and 24-16).

The two teams continue their four game series today with a doubleheader at Smith Field, beginning at 5 p.m.