Air Force Academy
San Diego St
AFA blanks San Diego State, 3-0
4/26/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 26, 2003
Senior Josh Zumbrun threw his first career complete game to lead Air Force to a 3-0 win over San Diego State in a Mountain West Conference baseball game Saturday, April 26, at Falcon Field.
Air Force earned its first conference win of the season after 18 straight losses. The Falcons improved to 13-27 overall and 1-18 in the league. The 18-game conference skid is the second longest in school history. San Diego State fell to 20-24 overall and 12-8 in the conference. The conference shut out was the first at Falcon Field since a 2-0 win over Utah on April 15, 1989 (Western Athletic Conference).
In a rare pitchers' duel at Falcon Field, Air Force senior Josh Zumbrun and Aztec senior Joe Carque pitched a pair of gems. Zumbrun was making just his second career start. Prior to today's game, he had thrown 38 career inning, 33 in 12 appearances this season. Meanwhile, Carque is one of the Aztecs' top starters, with a 4-2 record in 12 starts and 75 innings this season.
A right-hander from Baltimore, Md., Zumbrun allowed just seven hits over nine innings with two walks and three strikeouts on 119 pitches. He faced just 34 batters, seven over the minimum, and benefited from solid defense behind him throughout the game. First-baseman Adam Howes and shortstop Nelson Prouty each made diving stops to record outs and the Falcons turned two double plays late in the game.
Mike Rose gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. After the lead-off hitter, Howes, walked, Rose hit his fifth home run of the season to left field on a ball that bounced off the top of the fence. The Falcons took a 3-0 lead in the third inning as Rose singled to right field with two outs. He stole second and then went to third on a throwing error by the Aztec catcher Jordan Swaydan. Rose scored on Dan Petro's two-out, two-strike single up the middle.
Through the middle innings, Carque retired 11 straight Falcons while Zumbrun set down seven straight Aztecs at one point. Zumbrum did not allow an extra-base hit in the game. Carque allowed just two base-runners in the final five innings. Ryan Fitzgerald singled in the seventh and Prouty walked in the eighth.
SDSU had just two base-runners in the fifth through eighth innings. However, the Aztecs made things interesting in the top of the ninth. James Guerrero led off with a single to left field and Garrett Cook followed with a single to center. Aztec first-baseman Reilly Embrey, who hit two home runs in Friday's game, came to the plate with no outs and two runners on. He hit the second pitch from Zumbrun deep to center field that was caught by Nick Liegl on the warning track. Zumbrun induced Jon Stephens to fly out to right field and then struck out Curt Mendoza to end the game.
The game was played in just one hour and 59 minutes. Carque threw 115 pitches and gave up three earned runs on four hits with nine strikeouts. Anthony Gwynn was the only Aztec with more than one hit as he went 2-for-4. Rose was the only Falcon with multiple hits as he went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. The Aztecs left seven runners on base while the Falcons left just two.
Air Force has now won four of the last five over SDSU at Falcon Field.
The same two teams conclude the three-game series Sunday, April 27, at 1 p.m. at Falcon Field. Each team has won one game in the series.
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