April 26, 2004
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The San Diego State softball team (32-19, 11-3 Mountain West Conference) ended Colorado State's (33-12, 9-3 MWC) eight-game MWC winning streak and extended their own to 10 by defeating the Rams in game one of Sunday's doubleheader, 2-1, but the Aztecs fell in game two, 2-1. SDSU won three of four meetings with the Rams this season and lead Colorado State by one game. The Aztecs have six games remaining while the Rams will play eight more.
The Aztecs struck quickly in game one scoring both of their runs in the top of the first. Shortstop Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) led off with a sharply hit single to center, advanced to second on a ground out and to third on an error with center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) reaching second on the errant throw. Third baseman Kelcy Murphy (San Diego, Calif.) then singled to score Hartung, advanced to second on the center fielder's throw toward the plate and Kovensky then scored when the throw home was cut off and an unsuccessful attempt was made on Murphy's advance to second.
Colorado State rallied in the second, but pitcher Cori Janelli (Visalia, Calif.) got out a bases loaded, nobody out jam by allowing only one run. The first three Rams singled to load the bases, the last one an infield single in which Hartung made a spectacular diving snag of a sharp grounder to keep the runners from advancing additional bases. Janelli then retired the next three Rams with the lone run scoring on a ground out.
Janelli allowed one run, earned, in 5+ innings and retired 12 of 13 batters before allowing a leadoff single in the sixth. Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) came on to relieve her and retired the next six batters to extend her scoreless innings streak to 20.2 and earn her fifth save. She has now recorded decisions in each of her last eight games (five wins and three saves without allowing a run), all MWC games. Right fielder Bree Boyer (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Murphy each went 2-for-3 to lead the Aztec attack.
In game two, CSU left fielder Brittany Huerta hit her team-leading 13th home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the third inning to score the lone runs of the game.
The Aztecs looked to jump respond quickly to the homer in the top of the fourth with a leadoff bunt single by Kovensky. Murphy followed with a single to right, but Kovensky was thrown out trying to advance to third and then Murphy was thrown out attempting to move to second on the play to end the rally.
San Diego State rallied in the seventh. Catcher Danielle Touhey (Fresno, Calif.) led off the frame with a walk and left fielder Erin Mahoney (Westchester, Calif.) singled her to second with one out. Hartung then nailed the first pitch she saw to the right-center gap for a double to score pinch runner Jamie Burton (Carlsbad, Calif.) and move Mahoney to third, but the Aztecs could not plate the tying run.
Pitcher Deanna Richards (Visalia, Calif.) allowed two runs, both earned, in her six innings of work. Offensively, Kovensky went 3-for-4 while Murphy was 2-for-3. Touhey reached all three times with a single and two walks.
The Aztecs next head to Las Vegas, Nev., to face UNLV in a MWC doubleheader at 5 p.m. on Saturday. SDSU returns home for a non-conference game versus Louisiana Tech at 3 p.m. on May 4 before finishing up the MWC season with a pair of doubleheaders at 1 p.m. on May 7 and 8 against Utah and BYU, respectively.