LAS VEGAS – The third-seeded San Diego State Aztecs (40-19) moved on to the 2014 Mountain West championship game for the second consecutive season, after defeating No. 4 Nevada 3-2 in walk-off fashion on Saturday afternoon from Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
Aztec sophomore left fielder Seby Zavala led his team all day long from the plate with his third hit proving the biggest when he smacked a line drive to left field off Nevada junior relief pitcher Colby Blueberg in the 10th inning to score sophomore third baseman Ty France for the winning run.
“I was just sitting fastball right where I wanted it and I got it,” Zavala said.
The victory pushed Aztecs to the championship game versus No. 1 UNLV on Saturday night. Zavala made it clear of his team’s focus for the quick turnaround.
“The focus was to get through this one and move onto the next, so we’re ready for this one right here,” Zavala continued.
Aztec freshman pitcher Marcus Reyes took to the mound in his just his second start of the season. He went an impressive 7 2/3 innings and surrendered one earned run on seven Wolf Pack hits on the way to helping his team to the victory.
“I felt good from the get-go,” Reyes said. “The plan was to just pound the zone and pound the zone and that’s what I did.”
Aztec All-conference closer Michael Cederoth (6-2) came in for 2 1/3 innings in relief of Reyes and got the victory after blowing his second save in as many nights.
Zavala led all players with three RBI after going 3-for-5 on the offensive end. Haynal also provided offensive production with two hits on four at-bats to go with the winning run.
Wolf Pack senior third baseman Bryce Barger led the charge before his team fell short on its upset bid as he went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Junior first baseman Austin Byler scored the only two runs for Nevada on his way to a 2-for-5 night.