TUCSON, Ariz. — Nico Libed delivered a game-tying two-run single after entering as a pinch hitter in the top of the ninth inning on Saturday afternoon, but the Toreros (0-6, 0-0 WCC) could not hold off Arizona's response in the bottom of the frame, dropping a tough 5-4 decision to the Wildcats (3-3, 0-0 Big 12) at Hi Corbett Field.
With USD trailing 4-2 and down to its final out, Libed sent a sharp ground ball back up the middle to plate
AJ Beltre and
Jayden Lobliner, who had reached base via a single and a hit by pitch, respectively. Arizona broke the short-lived 4-4 tie in the bottom of the ninth when it pushed across the game's winning run with an RBI single to center field.
San Diego scored first in game two of its series in Tucson, doing so in the top of the first when
Isaiah Lane drove in
Jack Gurevitch with an RBI single of his own to center field. The early cushion allowed right-handed pitcher
Logan Reddemann some breathing room as he held the Wildcats off the board until Arizona knotted the score at 1-1 on a USD fielding error in the bottom of the third.
Reddemann's only other blemish came on a solo homer in the fifth, and his final line featured three hits scattered across five innings pitched while allowing two earned runs, walking only one, and striking out four.
After the Wildcats extended their advantage to 4-1 on a sixth-inning sacrifice fly and a seventh-inning RBI double, Lane and Lobliner notched back-to-back one-out singles in the top of the ninth to begin the Toreros' bid at a comeback. They remained at first and second base until Beltre was hit by a pitch to load the bases and bring pinch hitter
Jonathan Fitz to the plate. He worked a full count before drawing a bases-loaded walk to send Lane home and bring up Libed, another pinch hitter. With runners on second and third and two outs, Libed singled to center field to score Lobliner and Beltre and draw the Toreros even with Arizona, 4-4.
The Wildcats responded by leading off the bottom half to the ninth with back-to-back singles, putting runners on the corners with no outs. An RBI single to center field followed, giving the Wildcats a 5-4 walk-off win.
TORERO TIDBITS
- Lane had the Toreros' lone two-hit performance of the day, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
- Libed was the only USD player to record multiple RBIs.
- Fitz's pitch-hit walk was San Diego's lone free pass of the afternoon.
UP NEXT
The Toreros will wrap up their series against Arizona tomorrow afternoon. First pitch in the finale at Hi Corbett Field is set for 11:00 a.m. PST.
