Feb. 11, 2006
SDSU-UMass Box Score
SDSU-Okla. St. Box Score
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State softball head coach Kathy Van Wyk earned her 300th and 301st career victories as the Aztecs took a pair of games against Massachusetts and Oklahoma State in the third day of the 16th annual Campbell-Cartier Classic on Saturday. The Aztecs (3-0) defeated Minutewomen (1-2), 1-0, and later downed the Cowgirls (1-3), who were receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Softball Collegiate preseason poll, by a score of 3-1.
Against UMass, SDSU managed only two hits, but were still able to come away with a 1-0 win for Van Wyk's 300th career victory. In the top of the second inning, freshman Melissa Owens led off with a single to center field, stole second base and reached third on a fielder's choice. Fellow freshman Monica Alnes hit a sacrifice fly to left to give the Aztecs their only run of the game.
Sophomore Christina Ross (1-0), a University of Kansas transfer, kept the Minutemen guessing all day en route to the complete game shutout. Ross gave up five hits, one walk and struck out five in her first start at SDSU, and did not allow an UMass runner to reach third base.
Sophomore Taryin Casillas had the Aztecs' other hit in the game, a leadoff single in the fifth.
In its second game of the day, Owens and sophomore Megan McDonald each homered as SDSU held off Oklahoma State, 3-1.
The Aztecs got on the scoreboard first in the top of the second when Alnes hit a double to left field and stole third. McDonald hit a sacrifice fly to center field to give SDSU a 1-0 lead.
In the fourth, Owens made it 2-0 Aztecs with her first collegiate home run.
However, the Cowgirls came back in the bottom half of the fourth. Shallan Watson reached first after being hit by a pitch and Shianne Cruce followed with a single toward SDSU's Chrissie Markham. Tara Jeffery's RBI double to left made brought Oklahoma State to within one, but it would get no closer, thanks to a strong relief effort by Aztec senior Celena Velasquez. With runners at second and third, Velasquez relieved junior starter Katie Cochran, and promptly struck out Krystale Sanchez and forced Ashlyn Watson to popout weakly to Markham, ending any threat of a comeback.
McDonald, who finished 1-for-2 with two RBI in the game, led off the seventh with her fifth career home run. Alnes had two hits and senior Megan Hartung had a infield single.
Velasquez pitched a perfect 3 2/3 innings of relief and struck out five to earn the victory. Cochran allowed three hits and an earned run in 3 1/3 innings, while striking out five.
SDSU will host No.2 UCLA in the final day of the Campbell-Cartier Classic at 1 p.m. Sunday.