Feb. 14, 2004
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State softball team (5-5) fell to UC Santa Barbara (10-5) in eight innings, 1-0, in the first game of Saturday's play at the Aztec Invitational. The final game of the day, which saw the Aztecs face the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (1-2), was suspended in the middle of the fourth with SDSU leading, 10-2. That game will be concluded at 9 a.m. Sunday with the two regularly scheduled tournament games following.
Against the Gauchos, Aztec pitcher Deanna Richards (Visalia, Calif.) threw a commanding three-hitter with no walks or earned runs, but UCSB pitcher Jennifer Davis also tossed a three-hitter without allowing an Aztec to cross the plate.
The international tiebreaker was in effect for the game, meaning that a runner was placed at second base in both halves of the eighth inning. The Gauchos took full advantage of their additional runner, moving center fielder Blair Robbins to third on a fielder's choice and scoring her on a subsequent single by left fielder Davis Beck.
San Diego State responded in their half of the eighth by immediately sacrificing Richards to third on catcher Danielle Touhey's (Fresno, Calif.) sacrifice bunt, but were unable to score her.
Neither team had more than one runner on base at once until the Aztecs did so in the bottom of the sixth when first baseman Lacey Craft (Valley Center, Calif.) led off with a double and center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) had a two-out walk. Two runners on in the seventh for UCSB did not see a score, but two on board in the eighth (including the international tiebreaker runner) did allow the Gauchos to tally the sole run of the game.
Kovensky reached base all three plate appearances with a single, double and her sixth-inning walk.
In the other two tournament games today, Oklahoma State defeated Mississippi State, 3-2, and UC Santa Barbara topped Mississippi State, 5-2.
The Aztec bats came out on fire the final game of the day, scoring two runs in the top of the first, four in the second and two more in both the third and fourth innings before darkness stopped action with San Diego State holding a commanding 10-2 lead. Touhey hit a two-run homer in the third, the first Aztec home run of the season and of the junior's career, but that will remain unofficial until the game is concluded on Sunday. Once the game becomes official, it will mark the first the Aztec offense has reached double-figures in scoring since May 10, 2002, a 10-4 road win over BYU at the Mountain West Conference Tournament, a span of 73 games.
Following the conclusion of the suspended game at 9 a.m. Sunday, the tournament finishes with a pair of games: Oklahoma State versus UC Santa Barbara and Mississippi State against San Diego State.