March 19, 2004
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State opened it 2004 Mountain West Conference season by shutting out Air Force, 14-0, behind a two-hit pitching performance and a breakout offensive performance Friday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium. SDSU (11-17, 1-0 MWC) starting pitcher Scott Shoemaker followed up his complete-game three-hit shutout of Houston last week by allowing just two hits while striking out 12 Falcon hitters.
Shoemaker carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Air Force (45-15, 0-1 MWC)designated hitter Dale Kasel ripped a single to left past SDSU third baseman Ryan Wilson to lead off the frame. Karl Bolt then hit a bloop single to right to put runner on first and third with no outs. However, the Aztec senior then struck out the next two Falcon hitters and got a fielder's choice to end the threat.
With the win, Shoemaker improved to 3-5 on the year while lowering his earned run average to 4.18. Senior Joey Pace, making his first appearance of the season, pitched the final two innings, allowing just a walk while recording three strikeouts.
San Diego State got all the run as it would need when it scored twice in the second off Air Force starter Kyle DePierre (0-1), who was making his first start of the season. Rielly Embrey's two-out bases-loaded single brought home Chad Corona and Landon Burt, who had walked earlier in the inning. Embrey finished the evening with four hits, a walk, a run scored and four runs batted in.
The Aztecs added two more in the third, this time on a two-run single by senior left fielder Josh Hill that brought home Lance Zawadzki and Jake McLintock who had walked and doubled respectively.
SDSU went on to bat around in both the fifth and seventh innings, scoring five times in each frame. In the fifth, it got a two-RBI single from Embrey and a two-run double by Brock Ungricht. In the seventh, the big blow was a grand slam home run off the bat of senior outfielder Landon Burt, who had two hits and scored three times on the night.
The Aztecs 14 runs represented a season high and the shutout was the third by the SDSU pitching staff this season.
Air Force and San Diego State continues their three-game series on Saturday (March 20) with a contest scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
San Diego State 14, Air Force 0AFA 000 000 000 - 0 2 4SDS 022 050 50x - 14 16 0DePierre, Tetrault (2), Schroeder (7) and PolstonShoemaker, Pace (8) and SwaydanW - Shoemaker (3-5)L - DePierre (0-1)Sv - NoneHR - SDS: Burt (7th-three on)Att. - 475Time - 2:52