April 13, 2003
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State softball team (30-14) picked up two more wins today at SDSU Field, defeating Centenary College of Louisiana, 5-3, 2-0, in the Aztecs' final two non-conference games of the 2003 campaign. With the wins, SDSU extended its winning streak to ten, while the losses dropped Centenary College to 18-26 on the season.
The Ladies scored first in game one when Janis Kelley's sacrifice fielder's choice brought home Jordan Lansdale in the first inning. The Aztec offense answered in its half of the frame, as SDSU scored five runs on five hits. SDSU's lead-off hitter, junior Joann Figueroa, opened the inning with a single up the middle before left fielder Erin Mahoney reached on a bunt single. Figueroa scored when junior center fielder Janna Kovensky, who went 3-for-3 in the contest, reached first on an error following a sacrifice bunt. With two on and nobody out, junior first baseman Jacque Vaca came to the plate and scored Mahoney on an RBI single to left field. Freshman shortstop Bianca Cruz's double to right center brought two more Aztec runners home. Cruz would later come around to score in the inning on an Amber Grahlman single to put SDSU up, 5-1.
Centenary College managed to earn two more runs in the contest, when Lauren Brownlee scored Lansdale and Lauren Jackson crossed home plate while Brownlee was caught stealing second base. But the Ladies' third-inning effort was not enough, as SDSU claimed the 5-3 win.
Aztec pitcher Celena Velasquez (10-4) earned the win, as she gave up just three hits and no earned runs. The freshman struck out nine and did not walk a single batter over the course of five innings of work.
SDSU's Bre DeSanta (14-4) struck out a career-high 13 batters in the second game of the doubleheader and pitched her eighth complete-game shutout. The right-handed sophomore allowed just five hits and walked only one batter in picking up her 14th win of the year.
Both Aztec runs in game two came during the fifth inning when Figueroa notched an RBI-triple and later scored on a Kovensky two-out single. Pitcher Cathy Byrne (6-11) took the loss for the Ladies.
San Diego State returns to Mountain West Conference action when it plays host to BYU on Thursday at 1 p.m. at SDSU Field.