May 8, 2009
Box Score
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Junior All-American AJ Griffin tossed a one-run five hit complete game gem to pace the University of San Diego baseball team to a 10-1 win over the University of San Francisco Friday afternoon in a West Coast Conference game at USD's Cunningham Stadium.
With the win, the Toreros snap a six-game losing streak, improve to 28-23 overall and move to 11-8 in the WCC. With the loss, the Dons fall to 24-26 overall and 8-8 in the WCC.
Griffin (8-3) turned in a dominating performance on the mound as he took a no-hitter into the fourth inning facing the minimum, before USF's Zack Kim hit a single to centerfield to break up the no-no. Griffin allowed one run on five hits in 9.0 innings of work.
San Diego wasted no time in scoring, as they scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Three consecutive singles by Chris Engell, James Meador and Zach Walters load the bases for USD to start things off. Nick McCoy then drove in Engell with a sacrifice squeeze bunt down the first base line. After Bryan Haar drew a walk to again load the bases, Austin Green pushed across the final two runs with a double to give USD a 3-0 lead.
The Toreros then added to their lead in the bottom of the third inning, scoring one run on a Green RBI single, which scored Walters, who reached on a error, to give USD 4-0 lead.
Sean Nicol then launched his team-leading eighth home run of the season, a solo shot over the left centerfield fence, to push the Torero lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Toreros continued to add to their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, as they scored a pair of runs to push their lead to 7-0. Haar got things started with a triple to right centerfield, and Green drove him in with a two-run homer to left field, to put the game out of reach for the Dons.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Toreros continued to add to their lead as they scored one run on a Nicol sacrifice fly to centerfield, which scored Green, who had walked, to give the Toreros commanding 8-0 lead.
San Diego then scored two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on a McCoy two-run homer to move the score to 10-0.
The Dons spoiled the shutout for the Toreros in the top of the ninth as Bobby Ethel led off the inning with a solo home run to left field to put the game at its final of 10-1.
Offensively for the Toreros, Austin Green led the way as he went a perfect 4-for-4 with one double, one home run and fell just a triple shy of hitting for cycle, while also recording four RBI. As a team, USD recorded 13 hits, and every Torero that went to the plate recorded at least one hit.
USF's starting pitcher Matt Lujan (4-7) was saddled with the loss on the mound for the Dons, as he allowed seven runs on 10 hits in 5.0 innings of work.
The Toreros will return to action on Saturday, as they continue the three-game series with San Francisco at 1 p.m. inside the friendly confines of Cunningham Stadium.
