April 18, 2007
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State softball team rallied from a four-run deficit in the fourth by scoring the final seven runs of the game in a 10-7 win over San Diego at SDSU Softball Stadium Wednesday night. The Aztecs, who are 43-1 all-time against the Toreros, improved to 26-18 on the season.
SDSU opened the scoring in the second as freshman Lindsey Marquez (Tustin, Calif.) laced a two-out triple to right-center field to score freshman pinch-runner Stefanie Quichocho-Rosario (San Diego/Morse HS) from second base. Freshman Janae Portugal (San Diego/Westview HS) followed with an RBI single through the left side of the infield to put San Diego State up, 2-0.
San Diego (20-18) came back with four runs of its own in the third on solo singles by Danielle Treiber and Alicia Massei, and a two-run single by Kaslin Tucker.
A Kasey Mytinger (San Diego/West Hills HS) single in the bottom of the third scored freshman Brittany Knudsen (San Diego/Escondido HS) to bring the Aztecs within one run at 4-3.
SDSU committed two costly errors in the top of the fourth which led to three unearned runs, giving the Toreros their biggest lead of the game at 7-3.
San Diego State responded with five runs on five hits in the bottom half of the frame to take an 8-7 lead, a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the game. Portugal and Knudsen each singled home runs in the inning, and a Mytinger groundout made it a one-run game in favor of USD. With two outs, sophomore Monica Alnes (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) ripped a shot to left to plate Knudsen and Wells with the tying and go-ahead runs
The Aztecs added solo runs in the fifth (RBI single by sophomore Christine Kulick (Aliso Viejo, Calif.)) and sixth (RBI single by Portugal), respectively, and SDSU held on to the 10-7 victory.
San Diego State had 14 hits in the game, its fourth double-figure hit contest over the last five, with nine of the hits coming from Aztec freshmen. In fact, SDSU's freshmen combined to go 9-for-11 in the game with five RBI and five runs scored.
Portugal led the way with a perfect 4-for-4 game, her first multiple-hit game of her career. She added a career and game-high three RBI, and scored a run. Knudsen had three hits to go along with two runs and an RBI, while Marquez was 2-for-3 with a triple, a run and RBI.
Sophomore Dani Sidoti (Tucson, Ariz.) scored twice, and Alnes and Mytinger each drove in two runs apiece.
Junior Christina Ross (Santa Clarita, Calif.) (18-9) picked up the win for SDSU after scattering 10 hits and seven runs (four earned) over four innings. Wells tossed three hitless innings to pick up her first career save.
The Aztecs travel to Las Vegas, Nev., this weekend for games at UNLV on Saturday (6 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.).