FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The San Diego State softball team was edged, 3-2, at Colorado State in the series finale Sunday afternoon at Ram Field in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Aztecs fell to 16-9 overall and 1-2 in Mountain West play, while the Rams improved to 16-8 and 2-1.
Today's game was a pitchers' duel between three SDSU hurlers and two from CSU. The two teams, which combined for 35 runs and 38 hits in the first two games of the series, today combined for five runs and six hits with just eight runners left on base.
Sydney Hornbuckle got the start for Colorado State and allowed two runs on two hits and two walks over four innings, while striking out one. Danielle Serna finished the game for the Rams, tossing three scoreless innings with one hit and one walk given up.
For San Diego State, Allie Light started in the circle and yielded two runs on two hits and a walk over four innings, while striking out two. Dee Dee Hernandez gave up one run on one hit and two walks in 1/3 innings before Sarah Lehman pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings with two strikeouts.
SDSU struck first with two runs in the top of the fourth inning, loading the bases on a Bella Espinoza single, and walks by Jillian Celis and Cali Decker. With one out, Macey Keester was hit by a pitch, which allowed Espinoza to trot home. AJ Murphy then knocked in Celis with a ground out to second. Pinch hitter Alex Bunton, however, struck out swinging as CSU got out of the inning.
Colorado State tied it in the bottom of the fourth as Peyton Allen broke up Light's no-hitter with a leadoff single and later scored on a triple by Serna (6-2). Makenna McVay replaced Serna as a runner on third and tied the game up as Hailey Smith reached on a San Diego State error.
The Rams quickly loaded the bases in the fifth on a single by Brooke Bohlender, and walks to Hornbuckle and Allen off Aztec reliever Hernandez (2-2) before Lehman replaced her in the circle with one out. Ashley York, however, hit a deep enough fly ball to Espinoza in left field which allowed Bohlender to score on the sacrifice fly. Lehman then got Serna to pop out to Celis at shortstop to get SDSU out of the inning with just the one run allowed.
San Diego State got a runner on in the sixth but Keester lined into a double play to keep it a 3-2 CSU advantage.
Murphy got things going for the Aztecs in the seventh with a leadoff single. Serna, however, got Jeweliana Perez and Makena Brocki to fly out to York in center field, and pinch hitter Jade Ignacio to line out to first baseman Hornbuckle to clinch the game and series for Colorado State.
Decker was the only SDSU player to reached base safely twice in the game with a single and a walk.
THE NOTE
San Diego State fell to 5-2 on the season in one-run games.
THE NOTE II
C Cali Decker reached base safely twice and has now reached in 18 consecutive games.
STAT OF THE DAY
The Aztecs had won eight straight Mountain West series prior to this weekend. SDSU won all eight last year and this was the first series loss since losing two of three games at home against 2021 MW champion Fresno State, May 14-15, 2021.
UP NEXT
San Diego State plays host to Fresno State next weekend with games at 6 p.m. PT Friday, 4 p.m. PT Saturday and noon PT Sunday.
Colorado State 3, San Diego State 2
San Diego State (16-9, 1-2 MW) 000 200 0 -- 2 3 1
Colorado State (16-8, 2-1 MW) 000 210 x -- 3 3 1
Light, Hernandez (5), Lehman (5) and Decker; Hornbuckle, Serna (5) and Bohlender
W - Serna, 6-2; L - Hernandez, 2-2
Aztecs Edged at Colorado State, 3-2, in Series Finale
