SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — The San Diego State Aztecs erupted for six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to overcome a late tie and defeat the Seattle Redhawks 9-5 in a nonconference baseball game Monday evening at USD Sports Center.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded under the lights, was a 5-5 deadlock until the Aztecs sent 11 batters to the plate in the decisive eighth. The offensive outburst secured the win for San Diego State, which improved to 22-18 overall. Seattle fell to 12-21.

The most critical sequence of the game unfolded in that eighth inning against Seattle reliever Kaden Alberghini. With the score tied, San Diego State’s Chase Adams led off with a single and was bunted to second. Tyce Peterson then delivered a go-ahead single up the middle to score Adams. Dawson Santana followed with an RBI double down the left-field line, scoring Peterson to make it 7-5.

The inning continued to unravel for Seattle after a pitching change. Santana stole third and then scored on a passed ball. After a walk and a single loaded the bases, Zane Kelly added a sacrifice fly to cap the six-run inning. The Aztecs recorded five of their 15 hits in the frame.

San Diego State had to rally twice to get to that point. Seattle struck first without a hit in the opening inning, as Brady Knowles scored on a wild pitch. The Aztecs answered with a run in the first on an RBI single by Jabin Trosky and tied it in the second on an RBI single from Santana, which plated an unearned run.

Seattle reclaimed the lead in the third on a sacrifice fly by Connor Horner and added another in the fifth on a Horner groundout. San Diego State’s Zane Kelly hit his fifth home run of the season in the third, a solo shot to right. The Aztecs then tied the game at 5-5 in the fifth on back-to-back RBI hits from Trosky and Jacob Boyd.

Seattle had a prime opportunity to break the tie in the top of the sixth, loading the bases with no outs. They managed only one run, however, on a hit-by-pitch, and then hit into an unconventional 5-2-3 double play to stifle the rally.

Alec Belardes earned the win in relief for San Diego State, allowing two earned runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings. Starter Drew Talavs went 2 1/3 innings, and Aidan Russell pitched a scoreless eighth. Seattle’ Camden Oram started and threw three scoreless innings, but relievers Jake Morell and Alberghini were charged with the late runs.

Offensively, Trosky led the Aztecs, going 4 for 5 with two RBIs. Santana was 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs, and Kelly drove in two runs, including his homer. For Seattle, Knowles had three hits and scored three runs.

The game defied the pregame projection from Interstat, which had simulated a 6-5 San Diego State victory and gave the Aztecs a 68% probability to win.

San Diego State travels to face Cal State Northridge on Tuesday. Seattle returns home to begin a three-game series against Pepperdine on Friday.