March 28, 2008
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State blew open a pitchers duel with six runs in the fourth inning and went on to defeat Houston, 8-0, Friday evening in the opening game of their three-game series. The Aztecs sent 10 men to the plate during their rally as they got to Cougar ace Wes Musick with the help of seven hits, a walk and an error to take control of the contest.
SDSU, meanwhile, received its second consecutive standout starting pitching performance, this time from sophomore Stephen Strasburg, who shut out UH on two hits for eight innings while striking out 12 and walking only one.
The victory was the fourth in a row for San Diego State as it matched its longest win streak of the season to improve to 15-10. Houston, which had won three straight and five of its last six, dropped to 16-8 on the season.
The game was expected to be a showcase for the starting pitchers as both Musick and Strasburg arrived with impressive credentials. And the contest lived up to that billing during the first three-and-a-half innings.
Over his first four innings, the Aztec right-hander allowed a pair of base runners on a hit batter and single with neither advancing past first base. Along the way, seven of the first 12 outs he recorded came via the strikeout. Musick, meanwhile, retired nine in a row after giving up a leadoff walk to Pat Colwell in the first inning.
SDSU's fourth-inning outburst began with a walk to Troy Hanzawa which preceded an RBI triple to center field off the bat of Nick Romero. Later in the frame, the Aztecs got a two-run single from T.J. Thomas, an RBI double by Brandon Glover and a run-scoring single by Colwell. The final run of the inning came on a throwing error by Cougar catcher Austin Goolsby. Musick (5-1) left the game after giving up the six runs as he suffered his first defeat of the season.
Strasburg, meanwhile, continued to dominate the Houston hitters, allowing only two more runners over the next four innings and adding five strikeouts to his total. He set down the final eight batters he faced including striking out the side the top of the eighth as he improved his record to 3-1.
SDSU reliever James McLaughlin came on to start the ninth inning and after getting the first batters, put two runners on board with a single and walk. However, the junior right-hander then struck out the next two hitters to preserve the shutout victory. After shutting out Harvard on Wednesday (4-0), it marked the first time that the Aztecs had tossed back-to-back shutouts since the 1990 campaign.
T.J. Thomas led SDSU's offense on the night, recording a pair of singles and a walk with two RBI and two runs scored. Garett Green also contributed a single and a double and scored twice.
Houston and San Diego State will play game two of the weekend series on Saturday, March 29, at 1:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.