March 2, 2007
FULLERTON, Calif. - The San Diego State softball team fell to No. 8 Northwestern, 2-1, at the Worth Invitational in Fullerton, Calif., on Friday night. The Aztecs, who defeated Minnesota, 1-0, earlier in the day, fell to 9-7 on the season, while the Wildcats improved to 12-5.
After being held hitless through the first three innings, SDSU's bats came alive in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, sophomore Monica Alnes (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) singled on a hard shot to the Northwestern third baseman. Freshman Stefanie Quichocho-Rosario (San Diego/Morse HS) replaced Alnes at first as a pinch runner and moved to second on a wild pitch. She then scored when junior Taryin Casillas (San Diego/Grossmont HS) laced a double to right-center field.
Freshman Brittany Knudsen (San Diego/Escondido HS) followed with an infield single, their final hit of the game, and the Aztecs were unable to add an insurance run with one out.
The Wildcats, who finished runner-up to Arizona at last year's Women's College World Series, capitalized in the top of the fifth when Tammy Williams hit a two-run homer to deep right-center field for the final runs of the game.
San Diego State did get out of two jams to keep the game close. After giving up consecutive singles to Northwestern's top of the lineup in the third, Owens retired their middle of the lineup in order. She struck out Garland Cooper, got Nicole Pauly to pop out to catcher Erin Floros (San Diego/Mt. Carmel HS) and forced Erin Dyer to line out to centerfielder Knudsen.
Then in the sixth, Owens gave up a leadoff single and was replaced by junior Christina Ross (Santa Clarita, Calif.), who allowed a double to put two runners on with no outs. Ross then struck out Darcy Sengewald looking and Katie Logan swinging, and got Williams to ground out weakly to third to end the inning.
Owens (5-4) pitched scattered two runs on seven hits to take the loss for SDSU. She struck out three and walked one. Ross struck out four in the final two innings and gave up just one hit.
In the team's earlier game, Ross threw a complete game two-hitter to lift San Diego State to a 1-0 victory over Minnesota. Ross (4-3), the 2006 Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year, struck out a season-high six batters without a walk for her fourth shutout of the season. Both Minnesota hits were singles and she did not allow a runner past first base. At one point in the game, Ross retired 15 straight Gopher batters until an Aztec error in the sixth.
SDSU got its only run of the game in the top of the sixth inning thanks to small ball and heads-up base running. Junior Tamani Wells (Concord, Calif.) singled up the middle to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Floros. Junior Megan McDonald (Glendale, Ariz.) then laid down a perfect sac bunt which allowed Wells to round third and beat the throw at home for the game-winning run. McDonald was credited with the RBI on the play.
Sophomore Monica Alnes (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) was a perfect 2-for-2 for the Aztecs, while Wells, Owens and senior Amanda Beasley (San Diego/Mount Miguel HS) had a single apiece.