sashin website
3
Pacific PAC 6-9, O-1 WCC
9
Winner San Diego USD 7-8-1, 1-0 WCC
Pacific PAC
6-9, O-1 WCC
3
Final
9
San Diego USD
7-8-1, 1-0 WCC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Pacific PAC 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 5 1
San Diego USD 2 1 1 2 2 0 0 1 X 9 11 0

W: Sashin, James (2-0) L: Cooper Lanz (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Offensive Onslaught, Strong Start From Sashin Lead Toreros Past Tigers

Peraza, Sim homer, Sashin goes six strong in 9-3 win over Pacific at Fowler Park

SAN DIEGO — San Diego baseball (7-8-1, 1-0 WCC) scored in each of the first five innings on Friday night to kick off West Coast Conference play in style, downing Pacific (6-9, 0-1 WCC) by a 9-3 margin at Fowler Park behind home runs from juniors Angelo Peraza and Kevin Sim and a strong start on the mound from redshirt junior righty James Sashin.

BATS COME ALIVE
  • After Pacific slid a run across in the top of the first to get the scoring started, the Toreros immediately answered and took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first on a two-RBI double from graduate transfer utility player James Arakawa that split the left-center field gap.
  • An inning later, Sim (Torrey Pines High School) doubled the USD lead when he shot a sharp RBI single back up the middle.
  • Peraza (St. Augustine High School) kept things rolling in the bottom of the third with a solo home run to deep left field (his third of 2023).
  • San Diego plated two in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single from Sim and an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of sophomore outfielder/left-handed pitcher Austin Smith (UC San Diego, Granite Hills High School , which saw Sim score from second without breaking stride in a daring race to the plate.
  • USD got on the board with more bold baserunning in the bottom of the fifth when junior center fielder Dustin Allen legged out an infield single and freshman infielder/designated hitter Jack Gurevitch hustled home from second without slowing down.
  • Sim capped the Toreros' scoring efforts in the bottom of the eighth with a towering solo homer (his fifth of 2023) that cleared Fowler Park's left-field videoboard by a healthy margin, giving San Diego a 9-1 lead that marked its largest advantage of the game.
  • Pacific plated a pair in the top of the ninth on a two-run homer but got no closer, earning USD a 9-3 win over the Tigers at Fowler Park in their first conference matchup of 2023.
SASHIN SHINES AGAIN
  • Sashin began the game on the mound for USD and turned in his third consecutive quality start, tossing six innings of one-run ball while scattering six hits, tying his career-high with eight strikeouts, and walking none for the second straight outing to earn his second win of 2023 and move to 2-0.
  • He settled in after allowing an infield hit and hitting a batter in the first, retiring 18 of the last 20 hitters he faced (including the last six in a row).
  • Sashin was relieved by freshman right-hander JD Goodcase, who worked around a walk to throw a scoreless seventh.
  • After freshman righty Aídan Gonzalez walked the first two batters he faced in the top of the eighth, junior righty Ivran Romero (Poway High School) entered out of the bullpen and pitched his way out of the jam by getting a 6-4-3 double play ball and notching a strikeout.
  • Freshman right-hander Peter Michael closed the game out on the mound for USD and allowed two runs on one hit and a walk.
TORERO TIDBITS
  • Sim paced the San Diego offense while hitting out of the leadoff spot for the first time this season, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, three RBIs, a solo home run, and a walk.
  • Sophomore shortstop Justin DeCriscio was next with a 2-for-4 evening and a run scored, bolstering his team-high .351 (20-for-57) batting average while giving him a hit in 13 of the Toreros' 16 games thus far in 2023.
  • Peraza was 1-for-4 with a solo homer, two runs scored, an RBI, and a walk while starting at catcher for the first time this season and just the second time in his USD career (April 26, 2022 at Cal State Fullerton).
  • Arakawa — who joined San Diego from Pacific as a graduate transfer prior to the 2023 season after four years in Stockton — went 1-for-4 on Friday against his old team with a two-RBI double and an outstanding defensive play in left field that saw him barehand a line drive off the wall and fire a strike to second baseman Will Worthington to cut down former teammate Jeremy Lea as he tried to stretch a single into a double.
  • Smith (1-for-4), Gurevitch (1-for-3), Worthington (1-for-4), and Allen (1-for-3) all recorded a single hit on Friday night.
  • Smith and Gurevitch both scored a run and walked, while Allen scored a run and pushed across two RBIs.
  • Costello was 0-for-3 but scored a run and drew a walk of his own.
  • Sashin's strong performance on Friday night marked the second consecutive start in which he's thrown exactly six innings and allowed just one run after also doing so at No. 10 TCU last week (March 10).
  • Prior to that start, he surrendered three runs across 5.2 frames at Oregon (March 3).
  • After walking 10 batters and striking out five across his first two starts of 2023 (7.2 IP), Sashin has issued just two free passes in his last 17.2 innings pitched while striking out 22, and has not walked a batter across his last two outings.
  • USD has now won each of its last eight matchups with Pacific, a streak that dates back to May 12, 2019.
UP NEXT
The Toreros will continue their series against the Tigers tomorrow evening. First pitch at Fowler Park is set for 5:00 p.m.
Print Friendly Version