March 11, 2005

Box Score

(San Diego, CA) - Justin Blaine struck out a career-high 12 Aztec batters and the Toreros of USD benefited from a number of San Diego State fielding miscues to win at Tony Gwynn Stadium 7-3 Friday night in the opening game of a three-game weekend series between the two city rivals.

USD (15-9-1) has now won seven-of-nine, while SDSU (4-15) falls for the tenth time in twelve outings.

Blaine (5-1) pitched effectively through six complete innings, setting down 12 via the strikeout, throwing 103 pitches en route to winning his third straight start. His season ERA dips to an outstanding 1.82, spanning a league-leading 59-plus innings.

The junior left-hander from Westlake Village, California, continues to raise his value as a projected draft pick come June. Blaine's solid junior season with USD comes in the wake of an All-Star campaign with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod League this past summer.

San Diego broke open a 3-2 game in the top half of the seventh inning, scoring four runs on three hits, with the help of two Aztec errors. Both errors came on a slow roller off the bat of USD shortstop Ryan Lilly. Aztec shortstop Lance Zawadzki and leftfielder Garrick Evans both badly misplayed a soft grounder by Lilly, allowing both Gavin Ng and Jamie Hesselgesser to score.

The Aztec mistakes in the seventh compounded two glaring first-inning fielding mix-ups, where two USD runs scored off balls that fell in front of Aztec outfielders who had apparently been blinded by the lights.

USD did total 11 hits, with junior first baseman Randy Curtis continuing his hot hitting by going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Sophomore Shane Buschini drove in a pair runs and All-American catcher Jordan Abruzzo doubled and went 2-for-4.

San Diego State starter Bruce Billings (1-2) was charged with five runs off eight hits in six innings as the pitcher of record for the Aztecs.

USD's Cunningham Stadium will play host to the series' second game Saturday at 1pm, before both teams return to Tony Gwynn Stadium for the finale Sunday at 1pm.