March 5, 2006
SAN DIEGO - Freshman Monica Alnes singled home sophomore Allison Smith in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the San Diego State softball team a 5-4 win over No. 23 Oregon in the final game of the Aztec Classic at SDSU Softball Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Aztecs improved to 13-4 on the season, their best start in school history, while the Ducks fell to 12-9.
SDSU rallied from an early three-run deficit to force the game into extra innings and scored two more runs in the bottom of the eighth for the victory.
With freshman Melissa Owens placed on second base because of the international tiebraker rule, and the Aztecs down, 4-3, senior Bree Boyer grounded out to the second baseman to move Owens to third. Smith laid down a sacrifice bunt and Owens slid under the tag of the Ducks' catcher Amie Morris to tie the game at 4-4. Smith stole second on the next pitch and advanced to third two batters later on a single by sophomore Tamani Wells, setting up Alnes' game-winning single up the middle.
SDSU took advantage of two Oregon errors in the fifth to tie the game at 3-3. Junior Amanda Beasley scored the Aztecs' first run of the game off a throwing error by third baseman Joanna Gail. Alnes knocked in Smith on a groundout for their second run and senior Meagan Hartung scored the team's third run when sophomore Taryin Casillas ripped a single through the middle.
Sophomore pitcher Christina Ross (5-3) tossed the final three innings to pick up the win for SDSU. She allowed three hits, an unearned run and struck out two batters. Senior Celena Velasquez pitched the first five innings and gave up five hits and three runs, while striking out four.
Junior Christina Hollingshead and Wells each went 2-for-3 for the Aztecs, while Alnes finished 1-for-4 with two RBI.
San Diego State will host a doubleheader against Cal State Fullerton at 4 p.m. Friday.