April 18, 2008
Box Score
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Junior All-American Brian Matusz put together another dominating performance on the mound and the Torero bats remain red hot as the 12th-ranked University of San Diego baseball team cruised their way to a 9-2 West Coast Conference series opening win over visiting Saint Mary's College Friday afternoon at USD's Cunningham Stadium.
With the win, the Toreros improve to 29-11 overall, move to 8-2 in the WCC and have won 10 consecutive games. With the loss, the Gaels fall to 24-14-1 overall and 4-6 in the WCC.
Matusz (8-1) picked up his seventh straight win on the mound in dominating fashion. After surrendering three hits over the first two innings, Matusz settled down and only allowed six more hits over the next six innings of work. Matusz allowed two unearned runs and recorded 10 strikeouts in his 8.0 innings of work. SMC starter Brian Justice (3-2) was saddled with the loss for the Gaels as he allowed nine runs on 12 hits in 6.2 innings of work.
San Diego wasted no time in scoring as in the first inning the Toreros pushed across two runs on one hit. Kevin Muno led off the inning with a walk and moved to second when Sean Nicol was hit by a pitch. After James Meador moved each runner up a base with a sacrifice bunt, Josh Romanski drove in Muno with a RBI single and Logan Gelbrich drove in Nicol with a sacrifice fly to right field to give USD a 2-0 lead.
The Gales then took advantage of a USD fielding error in the top of the second inning to score two unearned runs on a Kenny Fuglerud two-run single to left centerfield to even the score at 2-2.
USD would then regain the lead in their half of the second inning, scoring two runs on four hits. With two outs and no one on, Nick McCoy got things started with a single to right field and moved to second on Muno's single through the left side. Nicol brought in McCoy with a RBI single to centerfield and the final USD run came on a Meador RBI single down the right field line to give San Diego a 4-2 lead.
The Toreros then put the game out of reach in the bottom of the fifth inning as USD scored three runs on three hits. The USD runs came on back-to-back run-scoring doubles by Victor Sanchez and Kevin Hansen and the final Torero run came on a Jose Valerio ground out to the second baseman.
USD then added on two more runs in the top of the seventh inning, scoring on a wild pitch and a Muno run-scoring double to put the game at its final of 9-2.
Offensively for the Toreros, Romanski led the way as he went 3-for-5 with one double and one RBI. Muno was also a solid force at the plate as he went 3-for-4 with one RBI and Sanchez was the only other Torero to record multiple hits on the day as he went 2-for-5 with two doubles and one RBI.
The Toreros and Gaels will return to action on Saturday with a 1 p.m. WCC game at Cunningham Stadium.
