March 11, 2016 Box Score
WACO, Texas -- Behind a dominate pitching performance from freshman lefty Nick Sprengel, the University of San Diego baseball team (7-7) picked up a 5-1 win over New Mexico State University (8-7) Friday afternoon in a non-conference game at Baylor Ballpark.
Sprengel (2-2) had his best performance of the year, and held the Aggie bats off balance all day long. Sprengel allowed just three scattered hits, while striking out a career-high 10 batters, in a career-high 8.0 innings of work. NMSU did not record its first hit until the fourth inning, and then only registered two more hits the rest of the way against Sprengel.
San Diego got on the scoreboard first, as in the third inning, as they scored one run on two hits. Jeff Houghtby got things started with a single, and he moved to second on a Daniel Gardner sacrifice bunt. Houghtby then moved up to third on a wild pitch, and a Riley Adams RBI groundout to the shortstop scored Houghtby, to give USD a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, USD gained some breathing room, by scoring two runs on two hits. Adams got things started with a walk, and he moved to second on a Ryan Kirby single to right field. A Brhet Bewley bloop single to centerfield then loaded the bases. Two batters later, Hunter Mercado-Hood drew a walk to score Adams, and a Kevin Collard sacrifice fly then scored Kirby to give USD a 3-0 lead.
The Aggies then managed to get on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning. The NMSU run came on a Daniel Johnson run-scoring triple, which scored L.J. Hatch, who had walked, moving the score to 3-1.
In the bottom half of the sixth inning, USD scored two more runs on a Adams run-scoring double, and a wild pitch, to put the game at its final of 5-1.
Offensively for the Toreros, Adams led the way, as he went 1-for-3 with a double and one RBI. Houghtby went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Kirby went 3-for-4 with a double and one run scored.
NMSU's Marcel Renteria (1-1) was saddled with the loss on the mound for the Aggies, as he allowed three runs on eight hits in 5.0 innings of work.
The Toreros will return to action on Saturday, as they take on the Aggies again in a 11 a.m. game at Baylor Ballpark.
