May 17, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. -
The No. 19/21 San Diego State softball team was eliminated from the NCAA Regional with a 2-0 loss to host and No. 12/12 Fresno State in 11 innings Saturday night. The game, played in temperatures in the low 100s, ends the Aztecs' magical season at 44-17, their best record in school history.
The Bulldogs (53-12) will face No. 25/24 California (42-24) at 1 p.m. Sunday and will have to win twice to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals.
In a game that featured two of the best pitchers in the country in San Diego State's Christina Ross (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and Fresno State's Morgan Melloh, the two aces lived up to the hype.
Ross, a two-time MWC Pitcher of the Year, allowed two runs on 12 hits, all singles, and an intentional walk over 11 innings. She struck out five and ended the season at 30-14. On the other side of the circle, Melloh (41-8), the WAC Freshman and Pitcher of the Year, gave up four hits and two walks, while striking out 11.
As she has done all season, Ross got out of jam after jam. She left the bases loaded in the first, two Bulldogs on in the fourth, and runners on second and third with one out in the eighth.
Ross, however, wasn't as fortunate in the 11th inning. Aja Scheuber got things going with a one-out single and Jenna Cervantez followed with a single to center. Each runner moved up a base on an Aztec throwing error. It seemed Ross would get SDSU out of another jam when she induced Ashley White to pop up weakly to freshman shortstop Jen Wisneski (Riverside, Calif.). Andrea Ortega came up big for San Diego State when she took the 1-2 pitch and lined it up the middle where Wisneski made a diving stop and attempted to throw her out at first. Ortega beat the throw at first by a step and both runners scored for the only runs of the game.
San Diego natives Brittany Knudsen (Escondido HS) and Erin Floros (Mt. Carmel HS), and sophomore Lindsey Marquez (Tustin, Calif.) and junior Christine Kulick (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) each singled for the Aztecs.
In the earlier game, SDSU banged out 10 hits, including a two-run homer by senior Megan McDonald (Glendale, Ariz.) in the top of the third inning, en route to a 7-1 victory over Sacramento State. McDonald, Marquez and junior Tonye McCorkle (Santa Ana Heights, Calif.) had two hits apiece to pace the offense.
Ross (Santa Clarita, Calif.) started the game and allowed one run on two hits and three walks over three innings. She also struck out two. Freshman Samantha Beasley (San Diego, Calif./Steele Canyon HS) (8-2) relieved Ross in the fourth and gave up four hits over four innings. Beasley, pitching for the first time since May 2, finished the game with one strikeout and one walk en route to her eighth win of the season.
The Aztecs struck first when Kulick hit a two-out single to center to score sophomore pinch-runner Stefanie Quichocho-Rosario (San Diego, Calif./Morse HS) from second base.
SDSU then exploded for three runs in the third, culminating with McDonald's 17th career home run, tying her with Erryn Gutjahr (1996-99) for the most in school history. A single by Floros scored McCorkle with the team's first run of the inning.
The Hornets (32-21) got on the board in the third when Amy Tompkins scored on a fielder's choice groundout by Izmena Cabrera.
McCorkle sealed the game for the Aztecs in the sixth when she connected on a bases loaded triple to left to plate Wisneski, Knudsen and Wells with the team's fifth, sixth and seventh runs of the game.
NCAA Fresno Regional
Double-Elimination
Fresno, Calif. - Bulldog Diamond
Friday, May 16, 2008
Game 1: (3) California 4, (2) San Diego State 1
Game 2: (1) Fresno State 11, (4) Sacramento State 0 (5 innings)
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Game 3: (3) California 3, (1) Fresno State 0
Game 4: (2) San Diego State 7, (4) Sacramento State 1 (Sacramento State eliminated)
Game 5: (1) Fresno State 2, (2) San Diego State (0) (11 innings)
Sunday, May 18 Schedule
1 p.m. - Game 6: (3) California vs. (1) Fresno State
3:30 p.m. - Game 7: If necessary