Feb. 24, 2008
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -
No. 13/10 Baylor 7, No. 25 San Diego State 5
The No. 25 San Diego State softball team committed a season-high five errors in a 7-5 loss to No. 13/10 Baylor Sunday morning in the final day of the Palm Springs Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. It was the third straight loss for the Aztecs (11-4), who defeated defending NCAA champion Arizona and No. 3/2 Northwestern earlier in the weekend.
Sophomore Lindsey Marquez (Tustin, Calif.) homered, while the team's 1-2-3 hitters - sophomore Brittany Knudsen (San Diego, Calif./Escondido HS) (2-for-3), senior Tamani Wells (Concord, Calif.) (2-for-3) and junior Tonye McCorkle (Santa Ana Heights, Calif.) - went a combined 6-for-10 to pace the offense.
Senior pitcher Christina Ross (Santa Clarita, Calif.) (7-3) tossed another strong game, as she allowed one earned run on six hits and a walk over six innings. She struck out four, but San Diego State couldn't overcome its five miscues.
After leaving runners stranded on second and third with one out in the top of the first, SDSU didn't waste its next chance in the third. Knudsen chopped a single to left field and moved to second on a groundout by Wells. McCorkle, a transfer from Syracuse, followed with an RBI double off the left field fence to give San Diego State its first run of the game. McCorkle would score on the ensuing play when junior Erin Floros' (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel HS) grounder was misplayed by the Baylor first baseman, giving the Aztecs the early 2-0 lead.
The Bears (9-3) came back with three unearned runs in the bottom of their frame, thanks to three consecutive SDSU errors. Baylor got its runs when Tiffany Wesley drew a bases loaded walk and Brette Reagan followed with a two-run single to left field.
The Bears tacked on another run in the fifth after reaching with consecutive leadoff singles. San Diego State's Marquez then got the runner at second on a fielder's choice, giving Baylor runners at first and third with one out. Morgan Craig, who replaced the Bear runner at first, then stole second base, allowing Kirsten Shortridge to score from third pushing their lead to 4-2.
Freshman Samantha Beasley's (San Diego, Calif./Steele Canyon HS) pinch-hit single in the sixth scored freshman Jen Wisneski (Riverside, Calif.) with Marquez on deck. Marquez promptly hit the 1-1 pitch over the right field fence for her first home run of the season and third of her career, giving the Aztecs a 5-4 lead.
Baylor, however, scored three more times in the sixth, all which were unearned off Ross. Two runs came off a single by Katlyn Freeland and the other came on a wild pitch by Ross.
SDSU got two singles (Wells and senior Megan McDonald (Glendale, Ariz.)) in the seventh but was unable to get any runs across the plate, ending the game at 7-5 in favor of the Bears.
San Diego State plays host to Eastern Michigan at 6 p.m. Thursday.