March 8, 2008
TEMPE, Ariz. - The No. 17/21 San Diego State softball team bounced back from a disappointing Friday with a 7-0 victory over UC Davis Saturday morning at the Diamond Devil Invitational. The Aztecs improve to 18-7 with the victory and will play No. 1/1 Arizona State at approximately 3:30 p.m.
SDSU banged out a season-high 12 hits a day after leaving 17 runners on base over a pair of upset losses to Pacific and San Diego.
Senior pitcher Christina Ross (Santa Clarita, Calif.) set the tone early for SDSU when she got out of a bases loaded jam with no outs. After allowing a walk, a single and a walk to the Aggies' (13-13) first three batters of the game, Ross retired the next three batters in order on a strikeout (swinging), strikeout (looking) and a weak groundout to second.
San Diego State then put up six runs in the second thanks to five hits and three UC Davis errors. Junior Erin Floros (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel HS) got things going with a leadoff double to right-center field. After sophomore Stefanie Quichocho-Rosario (San Diego, Calif./Morse HS) replaced Floros and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Lindsey Marquez (Tustin, Calif.), senior Megan McDonald (Glendale, Ariz.) doubled to right-center to put the Aztecs up, 1-0.
Sophomore Katy Erickson (Tustin, Calif.) replaced McDonald at second and another Arizona native, redshirt Dani Sidoti (Tucson), singled to right to put runners on the corners with one out. Junior Christine Kulick then followed with a single to center to score Erickson and SDSU's second run of the game.
After two consecutive fielding errors by the Aggie shortstop, one which allowed Sidoti to score, senior Tamani Wells (Concord, Calif.) stroked a single up the middle to plate Kulick and freshman Jen Wisneski (Riverside, Calif.). A sacrifice fly by junior Tonye McCorkle (Santa Ana Heights, Calif.) scored Knudsen for San Diego State's sixth and final run of the inning.
Ross ran into a bit of trouble again in the fourth after allowing three straight UC Davis players to reach (single, hit by pitch, single) with two outs. However, Ross induced a groundout to Wisneski at shortstop to end the threat.
McDonald added an RBI single in the fifth for the Aztecs' final run of the game.
Wells, Floros, McDonald and Kulick had two hits apiece to pace the offense, with McDonald and Wells each adding two RBI, and seven different players scored a run.
Ross (11-6) and freshman Samantha Beasley (San Diego, Calif./Steele Canyon HS) combined on the three-hit shutout for the victors. Ross tossed the first four innings, striking out three with two walks and three hits allowed. Beasley struck out six over the final three frames to pick up her first collegiate save.