Box Score 
Photos
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – In the first game of the season, the Pacific Tigers fell 11-5 to the San Diego State Aztecs. Danny Mayer and Lucas Halstead, Pacific's returning RBI leaders from last year, drove in all five runs for the Tigers in a game that took two days due to weather delays.
Shelby Lackey set a new career high in innings pitched in his fourth career starting, going five innings for the Tigers. He struck out two and had two 1-2-3 innings but took the loss after giving up six runs.
Brett Seeburger went 5 2/3 innings for the Aztecs, getting the win after leaving with the lead.
Danny Mayer homered on the first pitch he saw in the 2017 season, sending a rope over the leftfield wall to give Pacific the 1-0 lead. Mayer would add another homerun in the ninth inning, giving him his first career multi-homer game.
That lead was shortlived however, as San Diego State would score five runs in the second inning thanks to some two-out offense that included three jammed shots that just barely evaded Pacific's defense.
Lucas Halstead cleared the bases in the fifth inning with a booming double to centerfield, driving in three runs and making it a one-run game again. The rally started thanks to Nick Iwasa's first career hit, an infield single down the third base line.
Justin Giovannoni allowed just the fourth homerun of his career to start the sixth, making it 7-4. Giovannoni got a pickoff and a strikeout to make sure the inning didn't get away from him, ending the inning.
The Aztecs struck again in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two on a flyout to rightfield. An error on the throw allowed the second run to score, making it 9-4.
A rain delay in the eighth, pushing the game's last two innings into Saturday afternoon. The delay helped the Aztecs, who loaded the bases in the eighth and scored two more runs on sacrifice flies.
STAT NOTES
- Mejia has a hit in every start in his career after singling in today's game. As a starter, Mejia is hitting .333.
- Halstead drove in three runs today, tying a career high. Last season, Halstead, who went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk today, hit .319 on the road.
- Pacific hit .252 with runners in scoring position last year but was just 1-for-11 today.
- Mayer now has a 23-game hitting streak carrying over from last year, during which he has hit .366 with 22 runs, 9 homers and 18 RBI.
- Halstead's carried-over hitting streak sits at 15 games and he has hit .414 with 6 doubles, 4 homers, and 13 RBI during that time.
- Eight different Tigers made their Pacific debuts in the game, including six freshmen getting in on the action.
The Tigers and Aztecs face off again today after the rain delay pushed game one into Saturday. The final game of the three-game series will be on Sunday at 1:00 pm.
Make sure to follow Pacific baseball on Twitter with the username @PacificBaseball and on Instagram at pacificbaseball.
