Feb. 28, 2008
SAN DIEGO - Junior All-American Erin Floros (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel HS) homered and drove in two runs, and senior Christina Ross (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and freshman Brooke Petty (San Diego, Calif./Vista HS) combined on a four-hit shutout to lift the No. 20/21 San Diego State softball team to a 3-0 victory over Eastern Michigan Thursday night at SDSU Softball Stadium. It was the 12th win of the season for the Aztecs, who are tied with the 2006 squad for the best start in school history at 12-4, and seventh this year against a 2007 NCAA tournament team.
Three of SDSU's six hits were extra-base hits, including a double and triple by junior Tonye McCorkle (Santa Ana Heights, Calif.) and Floros' home run.
San Diego State, which is now 5-0 this season when scoring a run in the first inning, played fundamental ball in the bottom of the first to get its first tally. Sophomore Brittany Knudsen (San Diego, Calif./Escondido HS) drew a leadoff walk and moved up a base on senior Tamani Wells' (Concord, Calif.) team-leading fourth sacrifice bunt of the season. McCorkle then drove the 1-1 pitch into left-center field to score Knudsen from second.
The Aztecs almost scored another run in the second after junior Christine Kulick (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) and sophomore Lindsey Marquez (Tustin, Calif.) hit back-to-back two-out singles. Knudsen then reached on a fielding error by the Eagles' (4-8) second baseman Jessica Grant. Grant, however, was able to keep her composure and throw out Kulick at home, keeping the score, 1-0, in favor of San Diego State.
After Ross tossed a perfect third, SDSU went to work in the bottom half when McCorkle tripled with one out and scored on a Floros single to left field.
Floros came through once again in the sixth, when she led off with a high-arching drive down the left field line that cleared the wall by some 30 feet. It was her second home run of the season and eighth of her career.
The three runs were plenty for Ross (8-3), who allowed four hits over six innings of scoreless ball to lower her season ERA to 0.50. She also struck out five in the game to become just the third Aztec pitcher to record 400 or more strikeouts in her career.
Petty struck out all three batters she faced in the seventh for her first career save.
San Diego State returns to action on Friday when it co-hosts the San Diego Classic I with games against Saint Peter's (4:30 p.m.) and Harvard (7 p.m.).