K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune
History is made as San Diego State right-hander Scott Shoemaker delivers the first pitch at Petco Park. Shoemaker and the Aztecs would beat Houston 4-0.
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San Diego State right-hander Scott Shoemaker said he likes to brush off the pitcher's rubber with his toe when he takes the mound.
"Like a clean slate," said Shoemaker.
There was no need to dust off the mound last night at Petco Park. No one had been there before. Shoemaker pitched as if he never wanted to leave – and he didn't – throwing a three-hit shutout in SDSU's 4-0 victory over Houston before 40,106 in the first game played at the new downtown ballpark. As anticipated, it smashed the previous college baseball attendance record of 27,673, set two years ago when LSU and Tulane played at the Louisiana Superdome.
San Diego State 4, Houston 0
Houston 000 000 000 – 0 3 1
San Diego State 200 020 00x – 4 7 1
Cooley, Farrington (7) and Logan. Shoemaker and Swaydan. HR–Embrey (SDSU) (2). WP–Shoemaker (2-5). LP–Cooley (1-1). Records: SDSU (10-15); Houston (5-11).
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And Shoemaker was the star of the show. The 6-foot-4 senior from Granite Hills High struck out a career-high 14. He allowed singles in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings.
"I just tried to stay focused," said Shoemaker. "That was the main thing. I wanted to stick with my game tonight.
"I was very nervous with the first couple of pitches. It was crazy. Insane."
And the thrill of a lifetime. The Aztecs picked the largest stage in the history of college baseball to play the game of the season, the game of their lives. Basically, SDSU (10-15) just went about its business from the start.
AZTEC INVITATIONAL
PETCO FIRSTS
Pitch – Strike, by SDSU's Scott Shoemaker to catcher Jordan Swaydan, at 7:11 p.m.
Batter – Houston's Travis Tully. Ball in play – Tully, retired 6-3 by James Guerrero to Rielly Embrey.
Strikeout – Shoemaker struck out Houston's Patrick Breen, the second batter of the game.
Walk – Houston starter Brett Cooley walked SDSU leadoff batter Landon Burt.
Hit / Extra-base hit – SDSU's Lance Zawadzki doubled off the right-field wall off Cooley in the first inning.
RBI – Guerrero, on a sacrifice fly to center off Cooley in the first inning.
Run – Burt, on Guerrero's sac fly. Home run – Two-run shot in the fifth inning by SDSU first baseman Rielly Embrey off Cooley.
Error – Houston second baseman Kevin Roberts, allowing SDSU's Embrey to reach first base and Zawadzki to score.
NOTABLES
19 TONY GWYNN DRIVE
The street adjacent to Petco Park was dedicated in Tony Gwynn's honor during a ceremony yesterday morning. San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy was on hand along with Padres owner John Moores as a street sign was unveiled, renaming the portion of 7th Avenue in front of the ballpark Tony Gwynn Drive. The official ballpark address will be 19 Tony Gwynn Drive. Murphy gave Gwynn and Moores replicas of the street sign and told Gwynn to hire a street sweeper. "Mayor Murphy said when you have a street named after you it's your responsibility to keep it clean," said Gwynn. "I've got 40 guys to help me, though."
OLD HAT FOR HOUSTON
Houston head coach Rayner Noble said he didn't do anything extraordinary to prepare his team for the event. The Cougars aren't strangers to playing before large crowds or at major league venues, as Houston has played host to several tournaments at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros. Still, Noble said his players had been looking forward to competing in front of an NCAA record-setting crowd. "I don't know how much more excited you could be, other than playing for a national championship," Noble said. Cougars players echoed their coach's thoughts. "It's probably the only time in my life that I'll get to pitch in front of this many people," said Houston starting pitcher Brett Cooley. "We're all excited. We're just trying to enjoy the moment." And what about the pressure of playing the first game in a new stadium before 40,000-plus people? "There might be added pressure because it's the first game in this beautiful park," said Houston starting catcher Brett Logan. "But it's just me and Cooley out there."
WELCOME MAT'S OUT
Moores said the Aztec Invitational is welcome to call Petco Park home next year as well. "If they'll agree to do it in the future, we'd have to put it on and make it an annual event," he said.
Visit to the mound – Houston head coach Rayner Noble, to talk to Cooley with a 3-1 count and one out in the first.
– THOMAS NEUMANN and KIRK KENNEY
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The offense staked Shoemaker to a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Center fielder Landon Burt coaxed a leadoff walk against Houston starting pitcher Brett Cooley (1-1) and second baseman Lance Zawadzki doubled off the wall in right field to put runners at second and third. Shortstop James Guerrero and first baseman Rielly Embrey brought them home.
Embrey, a senior from Poway, accounted for the other two runs in the fifth inning with the ballpark's first home run, a two-run drive that brought a huge cheer from the crowd.
"When I hit it I thought I hit it pretty good," said Embrey. "I didn't know if it would go foul. Honestly, I looked up and lost it in the lights."
Before the game, Embrey said the largest crowd he ever played in front of was 6,000 – at an air-guitar band competition in the Poway High gym. Although his band won, it's a good bet that this event topped that.
"Forty thousand people is beyond our dreams for college baseball," said Embrey. "It was a thrill."
The rest was left to Shoemaker, who wasn't hit hard – until the final out, anyway.
SDSU third baseman Ryan Wilson ran into Shoemaker on a high pop fly hit by Houston's Stuart Musslewhite in front of the mound.
Shoemaker gloved it as Wilson hit him and Shoemaker fell over backward. That was the only thing he did wrong all night.
He should have taken a bow.
The evening was relatively free of glitches, although the scoreboard did list two shortstops in the starting lineup for Houston (5-11).
And former Padres President Larry Lucchino could have spotted the ball better when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Lucchino short-hopped Tony Gwynn with the throw, but the Aztecs coach slid to his right as he deftly gloved it.
"See that?" Gwynn said to SDSU catcher Jordan Swaydan as Gwynn returned to the SDSU dugout. Swaydan nodded and smiled.
Signs on the grass in front of the dugouts reading PLEASE KEEP OFF were removed 45 minutes before the game, allowing the teams to go onto the outfield grass to stretch and run.
A few minutes later Gwynn came out to thank the crowd for coming.
A fan yelled out: "It's your house, Tony!"
"No, it's not my house," Gwynn responded. "It's your house."
Then Gwynn shouted "Play ball!" Twice. The microphone wasn't on the first time. Then the Aztecs took the field.
Neither team was allowed to take batting practice or infield grounders before the game in order to keep the field as pristine as possible.
With that in mind, Gwynn said, "I warned my team that I don't want to hear any excuses like, 'Hey, I didn't know what the ball was going to do.' "
The way Shoemaker (2-5) was pitching, no excuses were necessary.
