Western Athletic Conference Tournament : Wyoming Surprises SDSU, 5-3 : Ex-Aztec Assistant Is the Inspiration as Cowboys Win Opener

The University of Wyoming’s biggest baseball victory--5-3 over San Diego State in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference playoffs Thursday night--was a victory for a former San Diego State assistant coach.

“We wanted this one for (Wyoming assistant Dave Legg),” said Mike Hodge, who drove in two runs with a two-out bloop single to center field to break a tie in the eighth inning.

Today at 3 p.m. PDT, the Aztecs will play the loser of Thursday night’s late game between host Hawaii and Brigham Young, and the loser will be eliminated from the tournament. Wyoming meets the winner of that game tonight.

But this one, said the Cowboys, was for Legg.

Craig Maki, a Spring Valley native, said, “After all he did for us this year in his first year as an assistant coach, we wanted to win this one for him.

“And you could tell he really wanted it. You could see it in his eyes.”

Legg, a 1980 graduate of SDSU, served as an assistant for seven years under Jim Dietz.

“It was definitely one of my most satisfying wins,” said Legg, who was animated throughout the game, pacing the dugout and going out to the on-deck circle to give advice.

“We were a little tight before the game, but he calmed us down and told us we were a better team and told us to go out and prove it,” Maki said.

The victory went to left-hander Randy Hayes (5-6), who scattered eight hits. Jim Gibbs (3-3) took the loss.

Dietz said, “I could tell from the first inning we were in trouble. We were tight. We were the top seed and Wyoming (seeded fourth in a four-team tournament) was relaxed.

“Plus they’ve got what, seven seniors, and we’ve got one (starting). We were just a little tight.”

Wyoming, which had let a 3-0 lead slip away, won it in the eighth. Todd Hall walked and was safe at second when the throw came late after Kevin Van Wormer’s ground ball. An infield out moved them into scoring position for Hodge, who tapped a curve from Gibbs into shallow center.

Dan Porreco, the only regular hitting under .300 (.283) on a team hiting .354, drove in two runs to help the Cowboys to a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. He singled in a two-out run in the first inning. Hall walked, stole second and came in on the hit.

In the fourth, the Cowboys opened with three consecutive hits, singles by Ken Lake and Hall and Van Wormer’s ground-rule double for one run. Porreco’s sacrifice fly brought in Hall, but Wyoming then took itself out of any further scoring when Van Wormer was thrown out attempting to steal third.

The Aztecs tied it with a three-run fourth. Jeff Barry led off with a triple and scored on Steve Montejano’s sacrifice fly. John Anderson reignited the rally with a two-out double. Lance Pinnell walked, setting the stage of the tying hit, Robbie Bailey’s two-run single to right.

Wyoming was unable to break the deadlock in the seventh despite three singles. Hodge hit the first one but was doubled up by Maki. Back-to-back singles by Mike Mulvaney and Schuyler Smeltzer brought about the departure of Rob Brown, the WAC’s earned-run average leader (2.43). But Jim Gibbs closed the door by inducing Lake to fly out.