April 29, 2007
SAN DIEGO - Sophomore Christine Kulick (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) doubled home classmate Dani Sidoti (Tucson, Ariz.) in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the San Diego State softball team a 3-2 victory over Colorado State Sunday afternoon at SDSU Softball Stadium. The Aztecs, who defeated the Rams (26-25, 5-7 Mountain West Conference), 10-4, on Saturday, improved to 29-21 overall and 5-9 in MWC play.
Sophomore Kasey Mytinger (San Diego/West Hills HS) got the eighth inning started for SDSU when she led off with a pinch-hit single up the middle. Sidoti replaced Mytinger at first and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior Christy Hollingshead (San Jose, Calif.). Kulick then ripped the first pitch she saw to right field to plate Sidoti with the winning run.
It was Colorado State who got on the scoreboard first when leadoff hitter Lauren Cusick reached second base on a pair of Kulick errors in the first inning and, one batter later, scored on a wild pitch by Aztec sophomore Melissa Owens (San Diego/Christian HS).
San Diego State bounced back with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the first as the first five hitters reached safely. Freshman Brittany Knudsen (San Diego/Escondido HS) (single), junior Tamani Wells (Concord, Calif.) (bunt single) and Owens (hit by pitch) loaded the bases for sophomore Monica Alnes (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.). Alnes and freshman Lindsey Marquez (Tustin, Calif.) followed with consecutive singles to plate Knudsen and Wells, giving the Aztecs a 2-1 lead.
SDSU, which left 10 runners on base in the game, failed to score any more runs in the inning and didn't plate another run until Sidoti scored on Kulick's first double of the season in the eighth.
The Rams' other run came on a solo homer by Kim Klabough in the second.
The top three hitters in San Diego State's lineup combined to go 8-for-9, accounting for 2/3 of the team's 12 hits. Knudsen (4-for-4) and Wells (3-for-3) were each perfect on the day, while Owens was 1-for-2 and was intentionally walked in the seventh.
Junior pitcher Christina Ross (21-11) earned the win for the Aztecs after entering the game in the eighth with Colorado State runners on the corners and one out. She struck out Allison Majam and got Ashley Munoz to ground out weakly to first to end the threat.
Owens struck out six batters over 7 1/3 innings. She allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk.
SDSU wraps up its six-game homestand when it takes on UNLV on Saturday and Sunday.