April 22, 2007
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State batted around in four different innings en route to a 31-0 win over Air Force Sunday in the second game of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Tony Gwynn Stadium. The game was a stark contrast to the opener of the twin bill that saw SDSU record a narrow 4-1 victory over the Falcons.
The win improved San Diego State to 27-17 overall and 11-4 in the Mountain West Conference as it moved into second place in the league standings, a game-and-a-half behind TCU. The loss dropped the Falcons to 7-33 (0-14 MWC).
The Aztecs' 31 runs represented the most ever in a home game and the final score was the team's largest margin of victory against a collegiate opponent. SDSU defeated a military team from Camp Stoneman in northern California, 33-0, during the 1950 season.
San Diego State's 29 hits in Sundays' game tied the school mark that was set at Colorado State in 1990. The Aztecs also had seven doubles in the contest, one shy of the team record in that category.
SDSU (27-17; 11-4 MWC) scored in every inning but the third, breaking the game open early as it sent 10 men up to bat and scored six runs in the second inning to take a 9-0 lead. The Aztecs also sent 10 batters to the plate in the fourth (six runs) and added seven more run in the sixth when 11 hitters came up. Nine Aztecs hit in the five-run seventh inning as well.
Right fielder Frank LoNigro had five hits in the game including a pair of home runs as he was just a double shy of hitting for the cycle. Not only did he drive in six runs, he also tied a school record by scoring six times.
First baseman Joe Spiers had four hits, five RBI and three runs scored. One of those hits was a home run to center field, his first as an Aztec. Catcher Chris Anderson had just two hits, but drove in six runs with a bases-loaded three-run double in the sixth and a two-run double in the seventh to go along with a sacrifice fly earlier in the game. Center fielder Brandon Glover also collected a pair of hits including a double and four RBI.
On the mound, junior J.R. Murphy was called upon to make his first start of the season and he delivered. The junior from Truckee, Calif., scattered three hits over seven innings while striking out four and walking none to pick up the win and improve to 2-0.
Air Force starter Mike Ruvolo, who had tossed the final inning of the first game, allowed seven runs over his 1.1 innings of work as he suffered the loss to fall to 0-5.
The opener of Sunday's twin bill turned out to be a pitcher's duel between Air Force's Jake Petro and SDSU's Lance Sewell.
San Diego State opened the game by scoring single runs in each of the first three innings. Spiers got things going for the Aztecs with a one-out double in the opening frame and advanced to third on a ground out by Nick Romero. Spiers then stole home on the first pitch to LoNigro to give his team the lead.
SDSU added a run in the second on a walk to Glover, single by Brian Lucas and a sacrifice fly by Garett Green. It became a 3-0 lead one inning later as Spiers reached on a bunt single, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and came home on a ground out by LoNigro.
Air Force got a run back in the top of the fifth with a two-out rally that saw Erol Kelter single, Shea Hall walk and K.J. Randhawa bring Kelter home with a double to right field.
The Aztecs restored their three-run lead in the sixth as Glover singled to left with one out, advance to second on Lucas' grounder to short and scored on an RBI single by Green to make it a 4-1 game.
Sewell (5-3), who finished his day after six innings, allowed one run on five hits and struck out nine batters along the way. Reliever Shane Kaufman pitched the seventh and eighth with freshman Stephen Strasburg closing out the game in the ninth to record his league-leading seventh save. Air Force's Petro went seven innings as he took the loss to fall to 3-7 on the season.
Up next for the Aztecs is a non-conference game against Long Beach State, ranked 25th in the nation in this week's USA Today/ESPN poll, on Tuesday (Apr. 24) at 6:00 p.m. at Blair Field in Long Beach.