SAN DIEGO — A well-rounded offensive performance and a strong team effort out of the bullpen earned San Diego baseball (1-0, 0-0 WCC) an Opening Night win on Friday, taking down Nebraska (0-1, 0-0 Big 10) by a 7-3 margin at Fowler Park to kick off its 2023 schedule.

AT THE PLATE

• Sophomore UC San Diego transfer Austin Smith got the scoring started in the bottom of the second with a sharp double down the right field line, driving in juniors Angelo Peraza (utility player) and Kevin Sim (infielder) to give the USD an early 2-0 lead.
• The sequence featured exclusively Toreros from local San Diego-area high schools, with Smith hailing from Granite Hills, Sim from Torrey Pines, and Peraza from St. Augustine.
• After the Cornhuskers rallied back to tie it in the top of the fourth on a two-RBI double, Sim hammered his first home run of 2023 to put San Diego back on top in the bottom of the sixth, sending a fastball deep into the trees beyond Fowler Park's left field fence for a 3-2 USD advantage.
• An inning later, junior centerfielder Dustin Allen added on with an opposite-field single through the left side, plating sophomore shortstop Justin DeCriscio to make it 4-2.
• Nebraska made it a one-run game in the top of the eighth with an RBI single, but hopes of a Cornhusker comeback were quickly extinguished by a relentless San Diego offense.
• A walk from Peraza kicked off USD's late-game surge, followed by a single from Smith — his fourth hit of the game in as many at-bats — to put runners on the corners.
• Freshman infielder Jack Gurevitch then stepped to the plate in place of designated hitter Will Worthington and delivered perhaps the evening's most decisive blow: a well-hit double to center field that brought in both Peraza and Smith and put San Diego up 6-3.
• DeCriscio followed with an RBI single to bring in freshman infielder Brayden Grantham, who took over as a pinch runner for Gurevitch at second, giving USD a 7-3 lead it would not relinquish.

ON THE MOUND

• Redshirt junior righty James Sashin got the Friday night nod as the Toreros' starting pitcher and turned in three scoreless, one-hit frames, working his way around five walks with a pair of strikeouts.
• Freshman lefty Mikiah Negrete followed out of the bullpen with 3.1 no-hit innings in an impressive college debut, allowing just a single baserunner on a walk while striking out three.
• His efforts were rewarded with his first career win, moving the Oceanside, California native to 1-0.
• Redshirt senior right-hander Ryan Robinson entered in the eighth to close the game out for USD, tossing 1.1 perfect frames with three strikeouts of his own as San Diego wrapped up a 7-3 Opening Night win over Nebraska at Fowler Park.

TORERO TIDBITS

• Smith was a game-high 4-for-4, scoring a run alongside a pair of RBIs in his Torero debut.
• He was the only Torero with multiple hits on the evening, but seven different San Diego players had one.
• Smith and Gurevitch both tied the game high with two RBIs apiece.
• Sim, Peraza, Armas, and DeCriscio all drew a walk on Friday night.
• Friday evening's contest marked Fowler Park's first game with its new state-of-the-art Daktronics video board, an upgrade from the original ICS board the venue featured from 2013 until this spring.
• The game also marked Fowler Park's 10-year anniversary after opening on February 15, 2013.
• Torero legend Paul Sewald, the current Seattle Mariners closer who helped lead the Toreros to an NCAA Regional in 2012, threw out the evening's ceremonial first pitch.

UP NEXT
The Toreros are set to continue their series with the Cornhuskers tomorrow night. First pitch at Fowler Park is set for 5:00 p.m.