March 7, 2009
PALO ALTO, Calif. -
The San Diego State softball team couldn't overcome an early deficit in a 4-0 loss at No. 5/6 Stanford Saturday afternoon at the Louisville Slugger Classic in Palo Alto, Calif. With the loss, the Aztecs, who defeated UC Davis, 1-0, earlier in the day, fell to 11-11, while the Cardinal won its 20th consecutive game to improve to 21-1.
SDSU sophomore Samantha Beasley (San Diego, Calif./Steele Canyon HS) struggled in the first inning with two runs allowed on two hits, three walks and a wild pitch. However, Beasley (5-7) did get San Diego State out of a bases loaded jam in the inning when she induced Jenna Becerra to ground into a fielder's choice and leave all three Stanford runners stranded. After the first inning, Beasley gave up just two runs on three hits and a walk.
Faced with the two-run deficit, the Aztecs showed some heart in the third after senior Christine Kulick (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) singled up the middle and moved to second later on a passed ball. Kulick advanced to third two batters later on a groundout by junior Brittany Knudsen (San Diego, Calif./Escondido HS). Sophomore Traci Wolf (Lancaster, Calif.) then walked to put runners on the corners with two outs. Cardinal shortstop Ashley Hansen, however, made a nice diving catch on SDSU senior Tonye McCorkle's (Santa Ana Heights, Calif.) foul out down the left field line to end the threat.
Maddy Coon made it 3-0 Stanford when she led off the bottom of the third with her second homer of the season. Becerra made amends for stranding three in the first when she hit a solo home run with two outs in the sixth for the final run for the Cardinal.
The Kulick single ended up being the only hit against Stanford All-American pitcher Missy Penna. Penna, who is now 14-1 on the season, struck out 10 and walked three. Wolf walked twice for San Diego State and Fleming once, while Knudsen was hit by a Penna pitch.
Earlier in the day, SDSU used a two-hit, nine-strikeout complete game shutout from freshman Bailey Micetich (Woodland, Calif.) and two hits, including the game-winning RBI, by Knudsen in a 1-0 victory over UC Davis.
San Diego State will wrap up its play in the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic with a game versus Penn State at 9 a.m. Sunday.