March 7, 2003
SAN DIEGO - In the first day of action at the SDSU Tournament, the Aztec softball team lost to the University of Northern Iowa, 2-1, before defeating Long Beach State, 3-2, in nine innings. Sophomore pitcher Bre DeSanta got the decision in both games and now owns a team-best 6-2 record.
Aztec junior Kelcy Murphy singled to right field to bring home SDSU's only run of its game against Northern Iowa, as junior Janna Kovensky crossed home plate in the top of the first inning. Kovensky has now scored a run in the Aztecs' last three games.
After UNI scored in the bottom of the first to tie the game at one run each, DeSanta struck out six batters, including fanning the side in the second inning, and gave up just one more hit to hold off the Panthers for five innings. But in the bottom of the seventh, with two Northern Iowa runners in scoring position, Panther Melissa King scored the winning run on an SDSU throwing error.
SDSU's Jacque Vaca's sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning brought home sophomore Erin Mahoney to put the Aztecs on the board early in its game against Long Beach State. Vaca notched a hit later in the game to extend her hitting streak to nine games.
49er Arleigh Thorp homered to left center in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Beach a 2-1 advantage. SDSU answered, tying the game up in the sixth as Kovensky made a run for home and was called safe at the plate.
Aztec pitcher, freshman Deanna Richards, scattered four hits and struck out five batters over six innings of work before DeSanta came in on relief in the top of the seventh with the score tied, 2-2. Richards' RBI single to right field in the bottom of the ninth inning proved to be the game-winning hit, as Murphy scored the go-ahead run and LBSU failed to score in its half of the inning.
San Diego State now owns a 14-9 overall record and is 1-1 at the tournament. UNI (11-6), meanwhile, is 2-0 at the tourney, as the Panthers also defeated San Diego, 2-1. Both the Toreros and 49ers are 0-1 at the tournament after one day of play.
The Aztecs return to action at the tournament on Sunday, playing Harvard at 8 a.m. followed by a rematch with Long Beach State at 2 p.m. The schedule has been slightly modified and is as follows for the remainder of the tournament:
Saturday, March 89 a.m. UNI vs. Harvard11 a.m. Harvard vs. USD1 p.m. LBSU vs. USD3 p.m. LBSU vs. Harvard
Sunday, March 98 a.m. Harvard vs. SDSU10 a.m. USD vs. UNINoon LBSU vs. UNI2 p.m. LBSU vs. SDSU