LAS VEGAS – A season that began with promise in a tropical paradise came to its conclusion last night in a desert town where dreams are rarely realized.
San Diego State kept its Mountain West Conference Tournament hopes alive yesterday morning, setting a tournament record for runs scored in a game with a 26-1 victory over Air Force. That eliminated the Falcons (10-38), whose season ended with 22 straight losses.
SDSU followed Air Force to the door hours later, losing 8-5 to tournament host UNLV at Wilson Stadium.
It is the quickest exit for the Aztecs (23-36) in the tournament's seven-year history. And it ends a season that began with hope in Hawaii but quickly gave way to an unsettling feeling on the field.
“You just can't win in this format when you make the kind of mistakes we've made,” said Tony Gwynn, putting a period to his fourth season as SDSU's head coach. “You go back to the drawing board. You've got a long summer to figure out what you have to do. It's disappointing, but we'll learn from it.”
There's plenty from which to learn.
SDSU's school-record 14-game losing streak in midseason created a hole from which it could never climb out.
On defense, the Aztecs committed 16 errors in their first four games on the way to 101 errors for the season.
On the bases, the Aztecs had a five-game streak in which at least one of their baserunners was picked off.
The pitching staff's ERA was 6.71, the second-highest in school history.
They don't keep a stat for swinging at pitches outside the strike zone, but Gwynn must have mentioned the topic after virtually all of the team's 59 games.
“We came in with high hopes,” said SDSU first baseman Brock Ungricht. “I never thought it would end like this.
“Woulda, shoulda, coulda. All year. You look back and that's what you say. All the way around.”
The Aztecs' hopes looked up during yesterday morning's game against Air Force. Junior right-hander Brett Douglas (3-2) gave the Aztecs' bullpen a rest with a six-hitter that included nine strikeouts and just one walk.
SDSU center fielder Quintin Berry led the offense with three hits, six RBI and six runs scored. Teammate Paul Smyth added four hits and five RBI.
Smyth hit his 10th homer of the season in the third inning – joining teammates Tim O'Brien (11) and Curt Mendoza (10) in double digits – giving the Aztecs three players with at least 10 homers for just the second time in school history. Chris Gwynn, Flavio Alfaro and Steve Barnard did it in 1984.
Against UNLV (28-29), SDSU starting pitcher Bruce Billings ran into trouble in the third inning and the Aztecs found themselves trailing 4-1.
“I was rushing too much, dragging my arm, so everything was up,” said Billings, who righted himself thereafter.
SDSU made it 4-4 on a solo homer by Smyth in the third inning and two more runs in the fourth. But Billings' struggles had elevated his pitch count and he was through after six innings.
SDSU reliever Adam Simon (0-7) struggled as well, allowing three runs when he came on in the seventh. A ball that right fielder Mendoza misplayed didn't help matters.
Though they trailed by three runs in the ninth, the Aztecs still had a chance when Berry and Mike Willeford coaxed their way on base with two outs.
That brought Smyth – likely the team's MVP after leading it with 11 homers and 74 RBI – to the plate. But his dream of one more big hit was dashed when he looked at a called third strike from UNLV closer Jabe Beard that ended the game and the season.
Smyth just stood there in stunned silence afterward as players from both teams left the field.
“I just saw that pitch going by over and over,” said Smyth, “and I was thinking I should have done more for everybody else.”
His teammates could have said the same.
Kirk Kenney: (619) 293-1825; kirk.kenney@uniontrib.com
