College Baseball : Grace Has 6 Hits as Aztecs Sweep USIU

First baseman Mark Grace had six hits and drove in the tying run of the first game with an eighth-inning walk Saturday as San Diego State swept United States International University, 5-4 and 10-6, in a nonconference college baseball doubleheader at SDSU.

Grace walked with the bases loaded and none out in the eighth inning of the first game, bringing in the tying run, 4-4. Chris Gwynn followed with a sacrifice fly to left field for the game winner.

Paul Claes, who pitched the last two innings for SDSU, got the win. The Aztecs (41-21-1) have six-straight wins. USIU starter Jay Martell, who pitched into the eighth inning, suffered the loss.

The Gulls (15-21-1) also led in the second game, 2-0, after two innings. But the Aztecs, paced by Grace’s 4-for-4 performance, scored five runs in the third and five more in the fourth to take control of the game. SDSU starter David Provencher worked the first six innings to get the win.

Phil Zimmerman led the Gulls with four hits and a home run in the two games.

In other action:

UCSD 6-6, Whittier 3-3--The Tritons (22-18-1), who have won seven of their last 10 games, received good pitching performances from David de Cordova and Frank Califano in beating the Poets (13-14) twice at La Jolla.

De Cordova (6-4) allowed six hits in going the distance against Whittier in the first game. In the second, Califano, making his first start after a two-month layoff because of an arm injury, worked the first five innings to gain his second win.

Derek Alkonis and David Mendoza had two hits each for UCSD in the first game. David Stanovich had three hits in the second game, and John Rosness and Bob Natal added two hits and two RBIs.

Santa Clara 7-8 USD 5-7--The Toreros (4-14, 13-32-1) had the bases loaded with two out in the ninth inning of the second game, but Bronco relief pitcher Dave Heinebetter induced Paul Van Stone to fly out to left field to end the West Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader on the Toreros’ field.

The Broncos (10-7, 27-18) had a 9-3 lead in the second contest before USD rallied for five runs in the eighth inning. In the opening game, USD had a 4-1 margin after four innings, but Santa Clara’s Ray Williamson hit a grand slam in the sixth to put the Broncos ahead, 7-4.

Torero Jeff Grotewald had a solo home run in the sixth inning of the first game. Sean Baron of USD hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning of the second game.