May 11, 2001
SAN DIEGO - Shortstop Taber Lee extended his hitting streak to 15 games as San Diego State cruised to a 19-4 win over Air Force on Friday at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
With the win, the Aztecs improved to 30-23 overall and 18-10 in the Mountain West Conference, while the Falcons dipped to 22-30 overall and 7-20 in conference.
Right fielder Sean Pierce led a balanced offensive attack for SDSU, going 3-for-5 with a triple, a stolen base, four runs scored and three runs batted in. He was one of six Aztecs to record more than one hit in the game. In addition, SDSU saw five different players record more than one RBI in the contest, with first baseman Cody Haven driving in four runs with a 2-for-3 effort.
Junior left hander Marcos Mendoza improved to 7-4 on the year after holding Air Force scoreless with no hits and striking out six batters in three innings of work. Erik Fisher took the loss for the Falcons, falling to 2-10 on the year after surrendering nine runs (four earned) in 4.2 innings.
Freshman outfielder Anthony Gwynn returned to the SDSU lineup for the first time since breaking his hand against UCLA on April 10, going 2-for-6 with two RBI and three runs scored. Both of Gwynn's hits were doubles. Showing no signs of rust, he also stole two bases.
Leading, 5-4 in the fifth inning, the Aztecs busted the game wide open when Haven came up with the bases loaded and brought everyone around with a double to left center to cap a five-run inning. SDSU would add two more in the sixth and put the nail in the coffin by scoring seven runs in the seventh.
Outfielder Mike Thiessen led the way for Air Force, going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases. He was one of only two Falcons with more than one hit in the contest.
The Aztecs' 19 runs matched a season-high total that they recorded on April 7 against Air Force in Colorado Springs.
The two teams will square off again for game two of the series tomorrow when they hook up for a 6 p.m. start at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The game can be heard live on the official website of SDSU athletics, www.goaztecs.com, with Alan Horton calling the action.