April 16, 2005

Box Score

(San Diego, CA) - San Diego rallied from a late four-run deficit, scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings in the second game of a weekend series with No. 29 Pepperdine at USD's Cunningham Stadium. All-WCC infielder Keoni Ruth hit a game-winning RBI-single for USD in the bottom of the sixteenth to give San Diego the improbable 7-6 victory. USD (24-17-1; 10-7 WCC) has now won the first two games of the weekend set against Pepperdine (23-12; 10-3 WCC) and will try for the series sweep when the series concludes Sunday at 1pm.

Pepperdine had received a six strikeout, eight-hit outing from 6-foot-4 junior starter Paul Coleman. In a position to pick up the win, Coleman left the game with two outs in the ninth, leading by two runs and needing just one out, before closer Steve Kleen came on and allowed a game-tying two-run single to USD's Justin Snyder.

USD starter Justin Blaine pitched six-plus innings and struck out seven Pepperdine batters, allowing six runs on eight hits, while walking six. Blaine was unable to get out of a two-out jam in the fourth, with Pepperdine shortstop Danny Worth hitting a two-RBI double down the right field line to put the Waves in front 2-0. Blaine had allowed a two-out single to Chad Tracy and walked Kleen before Worth cleared the bases with his eighth double of the season.

Kevin Hansen and Shane Buschini, who combined for six hits Friday and combined to total six more Saturday, hit back-to-back doubles off Coleman in the USD fifth, generating San Diego's first run and narrowing the Pepperdine advantage to one run. The Toreros tied the game moments later at 2-2 when Jamie Hesselgesser came up with a clutch two-out single to drive in Buschini.

Pepperdine jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the top of the seventh inning, when All-WCC catcher Chad Tracy hit a line drive into the leftfield corner that cleared the outfield wall, ending Blaine's afternoon and bringing Tracy's 2005 homerun total to seven. Tracy's three-run blast came after David Uribes had singled home Justin Sandberg earlier in the inning, accounting for Pepperdine's late four-run lead.

The Toreros responded in the bottom half of the seventh with a run, as Steve Singleton led off the USD seventh with a triple to centerfield. Singleton then jogged home as Hansen, San Diego's next batter, roped an RBI-single into centerfield to make the score 6-3. Coleman then preceded to strikeout the side, ending San Diego's seventh inning rally.

Coleman retired USD in order in the eighth but ran into trouble by loading up the bases in the ninth, hitting Randy Curtis to put the leadoff man on and allowing consecutive one-out singles to Hansen and Buschini. Coleman struck out pinch-hitter Matt Weston then walked pinch-hitter Matt Falk to move the score to 6-4.

With Coleman unable to record the final out, Kleen came on to pitch to Snyder with two outs and the bases loaded. Snyder hit a bouncer towards the right side of the infield that ricocheted off second baseman David Uribes, scoring two runs to tie the game at 6-6.

Falk remained in the game to pitch to Pepperdine as the game went into extra innings, working effectively from the tenth through sixteenth (seven complete innings) to allow San Diego a number of chances to complete the come-from-behind win.

Kleen matched Falk inning for inning, limiting San Diego's offensive chances until Gavin Ng laid down a bunt single with one out in the sixteenth and Falk followed with a base hit to right field. Pepperdine elected to walk Snyder to load the bases with one out. With Ng representing the decisive run at third base, Ruth lifted a ball over the head of a drawn in outfield to score Ng and end the game in the sixteenth.