April 28, 2007
SAN DIEGO - Junior Tamani Wells (Concord, Calif.) went 3-for-3 with a career-high four RBI and freshman Lindsey Marquez (Tustin, Calif.) had a three-run homer in a four-run Aztec first inning to lead San Diego State to a 10-4 victory over Colorado State Saturday night at SDSU Softball Stadium. The Aztecs stopped a three-game skid with the win and are now 28-21 overall and 4-9 in Mountain West play. The Rams fell to 26-24 and 5-6.
Freshman Brittany Knudsen (San Diego/Escondido HS) got SDSU going in the top of the first when she walked to lead off the game and scored three batters later on a single to left by sophomore Monica Alnes (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.).
With sophomore Melissa Owens (San Diego/Christian HS) on second after a walk and Alnes on first, Marquez drilled the 1-1 pitch over the right field fence for her second home run of the season. Marquez, who has hit safely in an Aztec season-high 12 consecutive games, is now batting .486 (17-for-35) with 10 runs in conference play.
San Diego State tacked on two more runs in the second, thanks in part to a pair of Colorado State errors. Senior Amanda Beasley (San Diego/Mount Miguel HS) got to second on a throwing error by the Ram shortstop and moved to third on a Knudsen single. Wells followed with a two-run single to right to give SDSU a 6-0 advantage.
Jessica Strickland's RBI groundout in the third got the Rams on the board, and Ashley Munoz and Shannon Causgrove each scored on two different wild pitches in the fourth to bring Colorado State within three runs at 6-3.
The Aztecs fought back with two runs of their own in their half of the fourth. Knudsen reached on a one-out single to right and scored and a triple to right by Wells. It was Wells' fourth triple of the season, leaving her one shy of tying Shannon Pouelsen (1993) and Stacy Golf's (1987) single-season record of five. Owens followed with a sacrifice fly to left to put San Diego State up, 8-3.
Munoz singled in the fifth to score Strickland from second to close the Rams' gap to four runs.
SDSU added two more runs in the sixth, however, to put the game out of reach, as Wells singled home sophomore Christine Kulick (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) and scored on Colorado State's fourth error of the game.
Wells scored two times in addition to her three hits, while Knudsen had two hits and scored three runs. Senior Christy Hollinghead (San Jose, Calif.) also singled for the Aztecs.
Junior Christina Ross (Santa Clarita, Calif.) (20-11) picked up her 20th victory of the season after allowing four hits and four runs (two earned) over 4 1/3 innings. Owens struck out six against two walks, and did allow a hit over 2 2/3 innings of relief.
San Diego State plays host to the Rams again on Sunday with the first pitch set for noon.