May 17, 2001
LOS ANGELES - Fourth-seeded San Diego State got a complete game, one-hitter from senior Sandra Durazo and took advantage of two Cal State Northridge errors, as the Aztecs defeated the third-seeded Matadors 2-0 at Easton Stadium in the NCAA regional.
The Aztecs, making their first NCAA softball tournament appearance, will play fifth-seeded Wisconsin tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. PDT. The Badgers upset second-seeded Fresno State 3-1 in nine innings.
"I really felt like we played like we had nothing to lose," San Diego State head coach Kathy Van Wyk. "Our players were thrilled to be here and we had a great learning experience last week in the conference tournament. We talked a lot in practice this week about playing loose and having a good time."
San Diego State, which won for the ninth time in 11 games, took an early lead in the second inning. Following a single by senior third baseman Tashie Aguinaga, who was the only player to collect two hits on the day, junior second baseman Sarah Hershman grounded into a fielder's choice. Hershman stole second base, her 15th theft of the. Freshman designated player Kelcy Murphy hit a grounder to second base, but the first baseman couldn't handle the throw, allowing Hershman to score from second and the Aztecs led 1-0.
San Diego State increased the lead in the third inning when freshman center fielder Janna Kovensky singled sharply to center, scoring freshman shortstop Joann Figueroa and the Aztecs enjoyed a 2-0 advantage.
That was enough for Durazo, who pitched her third one-hitter in an eight-day period. Last week, the senior opened the Mountain West Conference tournament with consecutive one-hit victories over UNLV and Utah. Durazo claimed her 28th victory of the season and her eighth shutout of the campaign without allowing a Matador base runner past first base. Durazo threw 78 pitches, 57 for strikes, in earning her 85th career win.
Cal State Northridge got a two-out first inning hit, a fifth inning walk and had a runner reach after being hit by a pitch in the sixth inning. In addition to allowing just three base runners, the Granada Hills, Calif., native, struck out six batters in running her consecutive innings worked streak to 82.
The Aztecs, which are 38-23 overall, join Wisconsin and top-seeded UCLA as the only undefeated teams in this double-elimination regional.
(4) San Diego State 2, (3) Cal State Northridge 0
San Diego State 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 - 2 4 0Cal State Northridge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 2Sandra Durazo and Brooke Johnson. Sarah Farnworth and Sarah Cueva. W - Durazo (28-13). LP - Sarah Farnworth (24-15). S - none. LOB - San Diego State 4, Cal State Northridge 3. 2B - none. 3B - none. HR - none. SB - SDSU: Sarah Hershman. CS - none. SH - SDSU: Tiffany Goudy 2, Brooke Johnson. SF - none. T - 1:38. A - TBA.