San Diego College Baseball : SDSU Loses to UCLA, Then Beats UC Irvine

Neither a seven-run deficit nor a 13-run, 17-hit attack by San Diego State was enough against UCLA Tuesday afternoon at Smith Field.

The Bruins, ranked 17th in the country, scored 11 runs in a fourth-inning outburst in a wild 14-13 nonconference 10-inning victory over the Aztecs.

UCLA had 14 hits including two home runs, two triples and three doubles. The Bruins sent 17 batters to the plate in the fourth inning. That’s not an unusual inning, coming from a team that beat Arizona, 28-5, two weeks ago.

Just call UCLA the Big Blue Wrecking Crew, college style.

“We’ve certainly been hitting the ball well lately,” said UCLA Coach Gary Adams, whose team improved to 21-12. “We never feel like we’re out of a game.”

And it’s no wonder. After SDSU scored three runs in the first, one in the second and three in the third to take a 7-0 lead, the Bruins came back--quickly.

John Joslyn’s eighth home run of the season highlighted UCLA’s 11-run fourth, an inning that included five singles and five Aztec errors, three by third baseman Kasey McKeon. Todd Zeile hit his ninth home run of the year in the fifth to put the Bruins ahead, 13-8.

SDSU fought back with two in the sixth and one in the seventh to get close, then tied the game 13-13 in the eighth on Steve Montejano’s two-out two-run double to left-center.

In the 10th inning Bobby Holley walked off Matt Haar, the fourth Aztec pitcher, and eventually scored on a two-out single to right by Joslyn. Alex Sanchez, the fifth UCLA pitcher, went the last three innings to pick up the win.

SDSU 6, UC Irvine 3--Steve Montejano and Dave Campagna both went 2 for 3 to lead the Aztecs to the nonconference win. Campagna’s double and Montejano’s RBI single highlighted a three-run sixth inning for the Aztecs (19-10-1).

Reliever Steve Mills (2-1) pitched the last three innings for the win.

UC Irvine is 11-13-2.

In other college baseball action:

United States International University 5, UC Irvine 4--Bob Esquerra’s RBI single in the seventh inning led USIU to a nonconference win. Esquerra had three hits and Mark Waters had three RBIs, including a two-run double in the first, to lead the Gulls (12-24). USIU’s Mike Poteet (4-6) pitched the first eight innings for the win. Bob Sugar’s two-run homer in the first ignited a three-run rally for UC Irvine (11-12-2).

Southern California College 4, UC San Diego 1--Senior left-hander Tim Fortugno (5-1) had nine strikeouts in five innings for the Vanguards. He has 93 strikeouts in 52 innings this year. Ron Nelson and Kevin Kasper hit solo home runs for SCC (17-9).

Pt. Loma Nazarene 6, USD 5 (11 innings)--Steve Napier scored on a suicide squeeze bunt by Jerry Hill in the top of the 11th to give the Crusaders (9-15-1) the win. USD (18-13-2) had runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the 11th, but Chris Bwy lined to left for a double play.

Rob Kabisiak (4-2) pitched 10 innings for the win. Dan Whitney got the save.