May 1, 2004
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - The combination of third baseman Kelcy Murphy's (San Diego, Calif.) hot bat and the pitching of Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) helped San Diego State (34-19, 13-3 Mountain West Conference) sweep UNLV (22-33, 4-12 MWC) in a MWC doubleheader on Saturday night, 5-2 and 6-3, and move into sole possession of first place in the MWC.
In game one, Murphy tied a school record with three doubles and then added three singles in game two. Her four RBI in game one was also one off a single-game school record and gave her 100 on her career, second on the all-time list behind Erryn Gutjahr's (1996-99) 102.
Velasquez extended her scoreless innings streak to 27.2 before allowing a run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning of game two. She did however earn two wins to improve to 14-4 (.778 winning percentage) and has earned seven wins and three saves in her last 10 appearances, all in relief and all in MWC action. Her amazing MWC season continues as she is 5-0 with five saves and a 0.39 ERA (the MWC record for lowest conference ERA is 0.81, which Velasquez set last year as a freshman).
The Aztecs are now one game ahead of Colorado State (36-13, 12-4 MWC) with four games remaining for each team. SDSU has also clinched a first-round bye at this year's MWC Tournament from May 13-15 at Colorado State as a top-two seed along with the right to host the 2005 MWC Tournament as the highest-placing non-Colorado State team in the 2004 standings since a team cannot host two consecutive years. If the Rams and Aztecs finish tied in the final standings, SDSU would earn the No. 1 seed as they defeated CSU 3-of-4 this season.
The Aztecs struck early in game one. Shortstop Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) led off game one with a single to left field and right fielder Bree Boyer (Huntington Beach, Calif.) then bunted her to second. Center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) walked before Murphy blooped a double down the right field line to score Hartung and move Kovensky to third. Second baseman Joann Figueroa (Phoenix, Ariz.) drove in Kovensky with an RBI ground out to second, giving SDSU a 2-0 lead.
UNLV answered quickly as the first three Rebels reached on hits, a double and two singles, to cut the lead to 2-1. An unearned run later in the inning tied the game, 2-2.
The Rebels rallied again in the third, getting runners on first and third with two out but Velasquez came in and retired Morgan Bostwick on a first-pitch pop-up to third.
The Aztecs loaded the bases in the top of the fourth and Murphy cleared them with a double to the right-center gap to give SDSU a 5-2 lead. The double, her third, tied the SDSU single-game record with Kellie Nordhagen, who hit three against Ohio State on Feb. 17, 2000, a 6-1 Aztec win at the Campbell/Cartier Classic.
Murphy went 3-for-4 with four RBI. In addition to tying the doubles record with three, her four RBI was one short of tying that single-game mark. Hartung was a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs scored and catcher Danielle Touhey (Fresno, Calif.) had a 2-for-4 performance.
The Aztecs once again struck early in game two as Hartung sparked a two-run first inning with a double to left center. Following a sacrifice bunt by Boyer, Kovensky slammed a two-run homer over the left field fence, 15 feet to the right of the foul pole. The homer was the third of the season and the 12th of her career, allowing her to move into sole possession of second place on the SDSU career homer list, ahead of Murphy's 11 and behind only Gutjahr's 17.
SDSU added two RBI infield outs in the third and fourth, while UNLV hit three singles in the third to score, and the Aztecs carried a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth.
Velasquez once again entered in a jam in the bottom of the fourth - Rebels on second and third with nobody out. After striking out the first batter she faced, UNLV scored when the ball was bunted in front of the plate, the catcher threw to first in an attempt to get the batter, who beat it out, and the ensuing throw home to beat the dashing runner from third was unsuccessful, but the toss to second to get the batter attempting to advance an extra base was successful. The runner allowed was the first by Velasquez in her impressive scoreless streak after stranding 11 consecutive inherited runners.
In the Aztec fifth, first baseman Lacey Craft (Valley Center, Calif.) hit her first Aztec triple to drive in Murphy, who reached on her third single of the game, increasing SDSU's lead to 5-2. The Aztecs another run in the sixth on an RBI ground out by Murphy for a 6-2 advantage.
The Rebels finally ended Velasquez's scoreless streak at 27.2 innings with a single run in the sixth after loading the bases with nobody out and scoring on a sacrifice fly.
Craft had a career-high three hits, Murphy went 3-for-4 and Hartung and designated player Bridgette Caron (Fallbrook, Calif.) contributed two hits each.
SDSU wraps up its regular season with a five-game home stand, playing Louisiana Tech in a non-conference game at 3 p.m. on Tuesday before hosting a pair of MWC doubleheaders at 1 p.m. on Friday and Saturday versus Utah and BYU, respectively. The Aztecs then head to the MWC Tournament, held in Fort Collins, Colo., from May 13-15.
MWC Standings Through May 1, 2004
San Diego State - 13-3, 34-19 overall
Colorado State - 12-4, 36-13
BYU - 8-7, 31-16
Utah - 7-9, 19-28
UNLV - 4-12, 22-33
New Mexico - 3-12, 29-29