Rain Washes Out and Blesses a Weary SDSU Baseball Team

The rain fell softly and steadily on Stanford’s Sunken Diamond Sunday, causing the postponement of the NCAA West I Regional championship between Stanford and San Diego State, first until later Sunday afternoon and, finally, until noon today.

The rain was welcomed by a weary SDSU team, a team that spent Saturday playing two emotional games, going through six pitchers, two ankles and 19 innings before finally arriving at the championship.

Late Saturday night, assistant coach Gary Brown was finishing up bed checks when he laid out the ideal scenario.

He mentioned the rainy forecast, and then grinned the kind of grin you use when you’re up to something. It rains Sunday, he said, and cancels the game. Then, Monday, all of the Aztec pitchers are rested and ready to go. Meanwhile, Stanford is still without ace Stan Spencer, who threw nine innings Saturday morning. Perfect.

Sure enough, the Aztecs woke up to rain Sunday. First, the game was postponed from noon until 3 p.m. So the Aztecs arrived at Sunken Diamond a few minutes after 2, when the rain had stopped. Five minutes later, it started again, heavily, and the tarp was pulled over the field.

See you tomorrow, tournament officials said.

“Thank God,” SDSU Coach Jim Dietz said. “We’ve played one extra game (due to being in the loser’s bracket) and gotten up for two games at 6 a.m. It will help us. Maybe it won’t have any bearing on the game, but it won’t hurt us.”

To win the tournament and go to the College World Series, the Aztecs (49-21) must defeat No. 1 Stanford twice. Stanford (55-10), without a loss in this double-elimination tournament, just needs to win once. If SDSU wins at noon, it will face Stanford again today at 4 p.m.

The Aztecs are coming off a day, Saturday, when they lost to Stanford, 6-2, but turned around and defeated Southern Illinois, 4-3, in 10 innings.

So it’s easy to see why Stanford Coach Mark Marquess was disappointed with Sunday’s rainout.

“We wanted to get them today,” Marquess said Sunday. “They’re coming off a tough day (Saturday) with the doubleheader. I’d love to play them today. But whether this is a big advantage for San Diego State or a big advantage for Stanford, I don’t know.”

By taking Sunday off, the Aztecs were able to rest, which was particularly important for their pitchers and two players with injured ankles.

Second baseman Scott Dennison, the team’s leading hitter with a .362 average, sprained an ankle Saturday and wouldn’t have played Sunday. Now, he figures to be available today. He probably won’t start, but he should be able to be used late in a game.

“He’ll probably be 80% (Monday),” Dietz said. “Today, he was probably 40%.”

Dennison spent most of Sunday taking whirlpool and ultrasound treatments.

Third baseman Steve Boucher also sprained an ankle Saturday, but his wasn’t as bad. Boucher should be 100% today.

As for the pitching staff, Dietz said, if need be, he will use all eight pitchers in the first game and, if the Aztecs win, turn around and use all eight of them in the second game.

“I’m serious,” he said.

Then he paused. The raindrops continued.

“I’ve got a gut feeling things will be kind of interesting tomorrow,” he said.

Aztec Notes

The rain is supposed to let up by this morning. . . . A last case scenario in case the rain continues is that an NCAA committee will pick this region’s representative to the College World Series, which begins Friday. Tournament director Jerry Kindall, baseball coach at the University of Arizona, said the championship could be played as late as Tuesday. He wouldn’t speculate further, but Wednesday should also be possible. . . . SDSU will likely start Kevin Nielsen (4-3, 4.53 earned-run average) today at noon. Stanford will probably go with Brian Sackinsky (8-1, 5.07). . . . SDSU alumnus Joe Cusimano, who lives in the Bay area, took the team out to dinner Sunday night. “They’re coming out of the woodwork,” SDSU Coach Jim Dietz said. “I’d say that I’ve actually shaken hands with or talked to, conservatively, 100 people. Just alumni, or people in some way connected with SDSU.” Former SDSU and NFL quarterback Jesse Freitas was one. . . . Shhhh--the Aztecs have plane and hotel reservations all set for the College World Series, as well as meal money and cash advances. If they defeat Stanford twice today, they’re scheduled to leave San Diego for Omaha, Neb. on Tuesday.