Feb. 25, 2005
COLUMBUS, Ga. -
Celena Velasquez had another career performance for <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>San Diego State softball team, and the Aztecs managed a split in day one action at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, losing to No. 6 UL-Lafayette 3-0 in game one and defeating North Carolina in game two, 2-0. The Aztecs improve to 11-3 on the season.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
Velasquez (5-0) pitched a one-hit shutout against North Carolina, with a new career and school-high 15 strikeouts, two shy of the NFCA Classic mark, to lead SDSU to the game-two win. She now has 67 strikeouts in 40.2 innings of work, good for an 11.7 strikeouts-per-seven innings average. Velasquez lowers her ERA to 0.86 with only seven walks and 23 total hits given up.
The Aztecs and Tarheels were locked in a pitchers duel through three and a half innings, Velasquez with eight strikeouts and one hit allowed and Carolina starter Ashley Allen with a no hitter through three, before SDSU struck in the bottom of the fourth. Meagan Hartung led off and reached on an error to start the rally off, it was followed by an one out single from Taryin Casillas and then came the big blow: a two-out, two-RBI double from Kristen Carranza to put the Aztecs up 2-0. The double marked the third game-winning hit of the season for Carranza, who also did the feat against San Diego and Kentucky earlier in the season.
Carranza finished 1-2 with a pair of RBI, while Erin Mahoney had a perfect 1-1 showing with a walk.
In game one, SDSU had chances against UL-Lafayette and ace Brooke Mitchell, who had thrown a no-hitter just 20 minutes earlier, but the Aztecs stranded six runners, including five in the first three innings, and Mitchell finished the rest with 10 strikeouts. Leftfielder Bree Boyer led the SDSU bats with a 2-3 showing, and Hartung forced a pair of walks, but the Aztecs could not get the clutch hits against the All-American. Boyer was good with the glove as well, making a pair of great catches, including robbing the Cajuns of a homerun with a leaping grab against the fence.
SDSU starter Cori Janelli had a rough bottom of the first, allowing the Cajuns take advantage of a two-out situation to plate three runs with a pair of singles and a two-run Lacey Bertucci homerun to centerfield. Janelli settled down however, allowing only three more hits and shutting down UL-Lafayette for the final five innings, but to no avail.
The Aztecs continue play at the Classic Saturday, taking on DePaul, a team SDSU defeated 4-0 earlier this season, to finish off pool play before moving on to bracket play later in the afternoon. Full results and bracket updates can be found at www.nfca.org.