March 6, 2009
Game 1 Final Stats in HTML Format | Game 2 Final Stats in HTML Format
Game 1 Final Stats in PDF Format | Game 2 Final Stats in PDF Format
PALO ALTO, Calif. -
The San Diego State softball team salvaged a split with a 5-0 victory over Vermont Friday on the first day of the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic in Palo Alto, Calif. The win came after the Aztecs (10-10) were edged by Illinois State, 1-0, earlier in the day.
After managing just one hit in the opener, SDSU exploded for 12 hits in the nightcap.
San Diego State came out of the gates with two runs in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by an RBI single by senior Tonye McCorkle (Santa Ana Heights, Calif.) and a sacrifice fly by freshman Ashley Rose (Antioch, Calif.).
Sophomore Traci Wolf (Lancaster, Calif.), who reached on a single, gave the Aztecs a 3-0 advantage in the fourth when she got to third on an infield single by classmate Jen Wisneski and scored on a late throwing error by the Catamount third baseman.
Wolf played a part in SDSU's next run in the fifth frame when her single through the left side plated junior pinch-runner Stefanie Quichocho-Rosario (San Diego, Calif./Morse HS).
San Diego State's final score came in the sixth as Rose picked up her first multi-RBI game with an RBI double to center to score junior Brittany Knudsen (San Diego, Calif./Escondido HS).
McCorkle, Rose, Wolf and Wisneski all led the Aztec offensive barrage with two hits apiece, while Knudsen scored twice.
Freshman Bailey Micetich (Woodland, Calif.) struck out 10 over seven innings for a complete game shutout. She allowed three hits and two walks to improve to 5-4 on the season.
The first game featured a pitching duel between SDSU sophomore Samantha Beasley (San Diego, Calif./Steele Canyon HS) and the Redbirds' (7-7) Jordan Birch. Beasley allowed just one run on two hits and walk over seven innings, while tying her career high with 11 strikeouts. On the other side, Birch struck out seven and gave up three walks en route to tossing her second career one-hitter.
Illinois State's lone run came on Casey Gorrill's deep homer on a 3-2 pitch to left field to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning.
It appeared San Diego State was going to answer in the fifth when it got two runners on thanks to a pair of ISU errors. Wisneski, however, popped into a double play on a suicide squeeze attempt to end the threat.
The Aztecs would later get Knudsen to second (walk, stolen base) and Wolf to first (walk), but would come up empty in both occasions.
McCorkle singled in the fourth for SDSU's only hit of the game.
San Diego State will be back in action on Saturday at the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic when it plays UC Davis (9 a.m.) and No. 5/6 Stanford (1:15 p.m.)