Feb. 15, 2004
Oklahoma State Box Score
Mississippi State Box Score
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State softball team won the Aztec Invitational with two wins to finish the tournament. The Aztecs (7-5) handled Oklahoma State, ranked in the top 25 of both major softball polls, by an 11-2 count in the completion of Saturday's suspended game before pushing an eighth-inning run across against Mississippi State in Sunday's regularly scheduled game for a 2-1 victory over the Bulldogs. SDSU's 4-1 tournament record outpaced UC Santa Barbara (3-2 in the tournament), Oklahoma State (2-3) and Mississippi State (1-4 at the Aztec Invitational) for the tournament title.
San Diego State scored in every inning of its 11-2, five-inning mercy-rule victory over the Cowgirls, who are ranked No. 21 by ESPN.com/USA Today and No. 24 by USA Today/NFCA. The Aztecs have not scored in every inning of a game (or even in the first five innings of a game) in inning-by-inning records dating back to the first game of the 2001 season. The 11 runs also marks a team high dating to an 11-9 victory at UNLV on April 27, 2000, a span of 210 games. San Diego State last scored in double figures on May 10, 2002, in a 10-4 road win over BYU at the Mountain West Conference Tournament, a span of 73 games.
Catcher Danielle Touhey (Fresno, Calif.) smashed the first Aztec home run of the season in the third inning, which was also the junior's first career home run. Three batters contributed two hits each for the game: third baseman Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.), left fielder Erin Mahoney (Westchester, Calif.) and first baseman Kelcy Murphy (San Diego, Calif.).
The game was suspended due to darkness on Saturday in the middle of the fourth with SDSU holding a 10-2 lead and will be listed officially as being played on Saturday. The conclusion of that game started Sunday's day of competition, which was followed by an Oklahoma State 4-3 victory over UC Santa Barbara.
In the Aztec Invitational finale, San Diego State pitcher Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) threw another masterpiece following her last outing, a two-hit win over Oklahoma State on Friday. Today against Mississippi State, she got into trouble in the first inning, allowing the first four runners to reach and giving up a run, but then she settled down to escape the jam (second and third, one out) by retiring the next 10 batters.
The Aztecs quickly tied the game in the top of the second, 1-1, on a home run to left field by third baseman Bianca Cruz (Glendale, Ariz.), the Aztecs second of the season and second in two games. The game remained tied, 1-1, until the top of the eighth when the Aztecs took advantage of the international-tiebreaker placed runner at second when Mahoney scored from second on a sacrifice bunt by Murphy.
Velasquez retired the final 12 Bulldogs for the victory. In the bottom of the eighth, Mississippi State attempted to sacrifice the placed runner to third, but the Aztecs threw her out. An ensuing ground-out double play completed the successful weekend for the Aztecs.
San Diego State hosts the 14th annual Campbell/Cartier Classic at the Sportsplex USA in Poway next weekend, with Aztec games on Friday at 5:30 p.m. versus Iowa State and a rematch with No. 5/5 Washington (10-1) at 8 p.m. The Aztecs and Huskies battled in an 11-inning epic last Sunday at the Long Beach State Invitational before Washington finally prevailed, 7-6. Saturday's play sees SDSU take on Hawai'i at 3 p.m. and Auburn at 5:30 p.m., with San Diego State's final game of the tournament at 9 a.m. on Sunday against Loyola (Ill.).