April 5, 2009

Box Score

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Another offensive explosion with a season-high 23 hits propelled the 23rd-ranked University of San Diego baseball team to a 22-5 win over Santa Clara University Sunday afternoon in a West Coast Conference game at Stephen Schott Stadium.

With the win, the Toreros improve to 22-11, move to 6-0 in the WCC, have taken sole possession of first place in the WCC and have recorded 20 plus hits and runs for the second consecutive game. With the loss, the Broncos fall to 10-16 overall, 0-6 in the WCC and run their losing streak to nine.

The Toreros got on the score board first as they scored four runs on four hits in the top of the second inning. Zach Walters led off the inning with a stand-up double to right center field. After Nick McCoy was hit by a pitch, Tony Strazzara loaded the bases with a walk. Jon Hotta then drove in Walters with a sacrifice fly to center field. Two batters later, Michael Lugo hit a RBI single through the right side, which scored McCoy from second and moved Strazzara to third. Sean Nicol kept things going, as his two-out RBI single through the left side pushed across Strazzara for the third run of the inning. Chris Engell then hit a run-scoring double to centerfield, which scored Lugo from second, and Nicol was thrown out at home to end the inning on the same play to put the score at 4-0.

The Broncos then took back one run on one hit in their half of the inning. The SCU run came when Kyle Vvan Dusen grounded out to the second baseman, scoring Kevin Madden, who had doubled, from third to cut the lead to three at 4-1.

The Toreros the added a pair of runs in the top of the third inning on a Strazzara RBI single up the middle and the second run came when Hotta hit a high copper to the pitcher, who had trouble fielding it, then attempted to throw McCoy out at home, but McCoy's head-first slide allowed him to slip under the throw and give USD a 6-1 lead.

The Toreros then opened the flood gates in the top of the fourth inning scoring eight runs on six hits. The Torero runs came on a Nicol two-run homer, a bases loaded walk by Hotta, a two-run single by Bryan Haar, and a three-run homer by Lugo to give the Toreros a commanding 14-1 lead.

USD then added three runs in the fifth, two in each the sixth and seventh innings, and one in the eighth to round out their scoring for the day. SCU added one run in each of the sixth and seventh innings and two runs in the eighth to put the game at its final of 22-5

Offensively for the Toreros, Walters led the way as he went 5-for-6 with one double. Nicol also had a day to remember, as he went 3-for-7 with a pair of two-run homers and five RBI and Lugo also had a huge day as he went 4-for-5 with one home run.

AJ Griffin (5-1) picked up the win on the mound for the Toreros, as he allowed one run on three hits, while striking out six in 5.0 innings of work. SCU starter Alex Rivers (2-1) was saddled with the loss for the Broncos as he allowed nine runs on nine hits in 3.1 innings of work.

The Toreros will return to action on Tuesday as they remain in the Bay Area and head over to play Stanford University in a 7 p.m. non-conference game.