San Diego Sports et Cetera : Streak Hits 19, Then Aztecs Lose in Doubleheader Split

Most teams would be happy to split a doubleheader on the road. That isn’t the case anymore with the San Diego State baseball team.

Riding an 18-game winning streak and needing every victory they can get to catch first-place Hawaii in the Western Athletic Conference standings, the Aztecs split a doubleheader at Wyoming Saturday.

SDSU won the opener, 9-3, to increase the streak to 19, but they lost the second game, 8-5. SDSU now trails Hawaii by 1 1/2 games.

The 19-game winning streak is second in school history only to the 24 in a row won by the 1983 team.

SDSU won the first game only because it was able to score six runs in the seventh and final inning. Shortstop Steve Montejano, who was 2 for 4, hit a two-run home run to spark the six-run seventh.

SDSU’s Brian Dunn was 3 for 4 with 3 runs batted in and 3 runs scored and hit his first college home run in the third. Jim Gibbs (3-2) came on in the sixth to pick up the victory. He relieved Jack Skoog, who had taken over for starter Rob Brown in the sixth. Randy Hayes (3-5) was the loser.

Wyoming took an 8-1 lead in the second game before SDSU scored four in the ninth, three on another Montejano home run, to close the gap. The big hit for Wyoming was shortstop Todd Hall’s three-run homer in the seventh off reliever Rusty Filter.

Travis Teegarden (3-5) was the winner. John Marshall (7-2) was the loser.

SDSU’s Brian Lutes, who hit a bases-empty homer in the second game, extended his hitting streak to 13 games.

SDSU is 38-14-1, 15-3 in WAC play. Wyoming is 13-22 and 6-11. The two teams will play another doubleheader in Wyoming today.

With two out in the bottom of the ninth and the game tied, 2-2, pinch-hitter Dave Nowlan doubled home Erik Judson and then scored on a wild throw to third to give UC San Diego a 4-2 win over Southern California College. Dave Adamson (6-2) was the winner.

The University of San Diego-Nevada Reno doubleheader scheduled for Saturday in Reno was postponed because to rain and wind. It has not yet been rescheduled.

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

Mike Rendina’s first-inning grand slam powered host Grossmont to a 5-2 Grossmont League victory over El Cajon Valley. Tommy Lyles was 2 for 4 and scored 2 runs for Grossmont (11-8, 6-3). El Cajon Valley is 4-13 and 1-8.

Mike Raskind, Brian Giles and John Fenn all hit home runs as Granite Hills defeated host Valhalla, 12-4, in a Grossmont League game. Fenn’s was a grand slam. Todd Holverson (3-1) struck out 11. Granite Hills is 11-7 and 5-4; Valhalla is 5-14 and 1-7 and has lost 10 in a row.

Reliever John Lynch pitched four innings of no-hit ball as No. 6 Torrey Pines beat visiting Poway, 4-2, in a Palomar League game. Lynch struck out four but walked five. Each team scored two runs on wild pitches. Torrey Pines is 18-2 and 5-2; Poway is 11-7 and 5-2.