Feb. 6, 2004
LAKEWOOD, Calif. - The San Diego State softball team (2-1) fell to No. 5 Washington (1-0) at Mayfair Park in the opening game of the Long Beach State Invitational on Friday night, 8-0. The normally efficient SDSU defense faltered in the third with four errors (after going errorless their first two games and not even allowing four errors in a game in 2003). Washington's five unearned runs helped the Huskies build a 7-0 lead.
Husky catcher Kristen Rivera put the first run of the game on the scoreboard in the second with a towering home run to left field. The Aztecs had a chance to tie in their half of the second when catcher Danielle Touhey (Fresno, Calif.) walked and her pinch-runner, Kathleen Galbraith (Orange, Calif.), moved around to third with two outs, but she was stranded there. Touhey again reached in the fourth, this time on a single down the left field line, but was stranded on third.
Following their five-run outburst in the third, Washington tacked on another run in the fifth and, after retiring the Aztecs in the bottom of the fifth, won the game by the eight-run mercy rule, 8-0.
In her first NCAA Division I start, junior college transfer Cori Janelli (Visalia, Calif.) allowed five runs, two earned, in two-plus innings. Sophomore Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) came in relief and gave up three runs, one earned, in her three innings of work.
The Aztecs return to action at the Long Beach State Invitational with two games on Saturday and two on Sunday. An early 9 a.m. start on Saturday sees San Diego State face Santa Clara (2-3 entering Friday). At 2 p.m., the Aztecs battle the host Long Beach State 49ers (4-1 entering Friday). Games against Washington and No. 1 UCLA await SDSU on Sunday.