March 12, 2005

Box Score

(San Diego, CA) - San Diego State won for the third time in four games, totaling 14 hits during a 13-6 road victory at USD's Cunningham Stadium Saturday afternoon.

USD (15-10-1) auditioned five different pitchers with freshman starter Matt Couch going down as the pitcher of record for the Toreros. SDSU (5-15) and its home field of Tony Gwynn Stadium will play host to the series' deciding third game Sunday at 1pm.

Aztec shortstop James Guerrero (3-for-5) and freshman third baseman Grant Desme (3-for-4) combined to drive in seven runs. Leading 2-1 after four innings, San Diego State put up four runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth, eventually building up a 13-1 advantage. Six-plus innings of four-run baseball made a winner out of SDSU newcomer Alex Hinshaw (1-4).

Couch (0-1) allowed six runs and seven hits through five complete innings, with the Aztecs taking an early 2-0 lead on a pair of hits and a walk in the first. Couch went on to allow four runs in the fifth, before giving way to the USD bullpen trailing 6-1.

T.J. Merritt made his first start of the season and went 2-for-3 for a San Diego team that is 3-8-1 at home this season.