ricketts
7
Winner San Diego USD 8-6
5
Grand Canyon GCU 9-7
Winner
San Diego USD
8-6
7
Final
5
Grand Canyon GCU
9-7
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
San Diego USD 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 1 7 13 0
Grand Canyon GCU 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 5 8 0

W: Thurman, Conner (2-0) L: Ankeney, Eli (2-1) S: Hyde, Jack (3)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Sim and Ricketts Lift USD to Series Victory Over GCU

Toreros take two of three from Lopes behind back-to-back home runs from Kevin Sim and Caleb Ricketts

PHOENIX — Sophomore infielder Kevin Sim and junior catcher Caleb Ricketts headlined a late-game rally for the Toreros on Sunday, hammering back-to-back home runs in the top of the eighth inning to lead San Diego baseball (8-6, 0-0 WCC) to a 7-5 win over Grand Canyon (9-7, 3-0 WAC) as it took two of three from the Lopes at GCU Ballpark.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • GCU jumped ahead in the top of the first with a single and a double before San Diego starting pitcher Ryan Kysar (redshirt freshman) restored order and ended the frame with a strikeout enroute to retiring the next 10 batters he faced in a row.
  • Grand Canyon led 2-0 until the top of the sixth, when sophomore utility player Jack Costello laced an RBI double into the left-center field gap, plating fellow sophomore Chase Meidroth (infielder) to cut the deficit to one.
  • The Lopes immediately answered back with a run in the bottom of the frame, but sophomore outfielder Dustin Allen did some answering of his own a half inning later, singling through the left side to once again make it a one-run deficit at 3-2.
  • Meidroth then followed up with an RBI groundout to plate Arizona native Camden Vasquez (redshirt sophomore), and the game was knotted at three runs apiece.
  • After going yard in the series' first game on Friday, Sim (Torrey Pines High School) came up big in the top of the eighth with his seventh homer of the season, pulverizing a towering solo shot well over GCU Ballpark's left field wall to push USD ahead for the first time on Sunday at 4-3.
  • A pitch later, Ricketts turned on a fastball of his own, sending a line drive shot over the right field wall for a solo homer that extended the San Diego advantage to two and marked his second home run of the year.
  • Allen rounded out the Toreros' scoring in the inning with another single, this time to center field to make it a 6-3 game in favor of the visiting team.
  • USD answered one more time when GCU got a run back in the eighth, with redshirt freshman utility player Kyle Carr (San Marcos High School) reaching on a fielder's choice that brought home junior shortstop Cody Jefferis to move the score to 7-4.
  • GCU scored a single run in the bottom of the ninth but would get no closer, with sophomore right-hander Jack Hyde (Grossmont High School) slamming the door shut to secure his team the 7-5 victory.
ON THE MOUND
  • Kysar went 4.0 innings on the mound Sunday, a third of an inning shy of his career high of 4.1 that he set last month versus Oregon.
  • The Valencia, California native allowed two runs, walked two, and struck out four.
  • Sophomore righty Ivran Romero entered in relief of Kysar in the fifth and stranded the right-hander's final baserunner of the afternoon via a strikeout, a groundout, and a clutch throw to third by catcher Ariel Armas that nabbed a would-be base stealer and ended the frame.
  • Thurman came on in the seventh and stranded a pair of runners with a pair of strikeouts enroute to receiving his second win of the season as he notched four total strikeouts.
  • Hyde pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing a single hit alongside a single strikeout.
TORERO TIDBITS
  • Vasquez, who hails from nearby Gilbert, Arizona, was tied for the game high with three hits on the afternoon and two runs scored, and Allen was 3-for-4 with a team-high two RBIs.
  • Jefferis and Costello both had two hits, and Sim, Ricketts, and Carr all had one.
  • Meidroth, Jefferis, Sim, Ricketts, and Carr all had an RBI and a run scored on Sunday.
  • Sim led the way for USD with two walks, which was tied for the game-high.
  • Hyde earned his team-best third save.
UP NEXT
The Toreros return home this Tuesday, March 15, for a mid-week non-conference matchup against Cal State Fullerton. First pitch at Fowler Park is set for 6 p.m.






 
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