April 10, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
Redshirt junior Monica Alnes (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) drove in three runs at the plate and sophomore Samantha Beasley (San Diego/Steele Canyon HS) struck out eight in the circle to lead the San Diego State softball team to a 5-0 victory over Colorado State Friday night at SDSU Softball Stadium. The Aztecs (26-13, 3-0 Mountain West Conference) have now won a season-high eight consecutive games, outscoring their opponents, 28-3, over the streak, and 15 of their last 17, 17 of their last 20 and 21 of their last 26 contests.
After being held hitless over the first three innings, SDSU finally got to Ram (17-19, 1-2 MWC) pitcher Kelli Eubanks in the bottom of the fourth. Redshirt senior Taryin Casillas (San Diego/Grossmont HS) broke up the no-hitter with a one-out single to right field and was immediately replaced at first base by junior Stefanie Quichocho-Rosario (San Diego/Morse HS). Senior Tonye McCorkle (Santa Ana Heights, Calif.) followed with a single to left-center and both runners moved up a base thanks to a groundout by redshirt senior Dani Sidoti (Tucson, Ariz.). Alnes then took the first pitch she saw and drove it hard through the right side to score both runners.
One inning later, San Diego State took advantage of two costly Colorado State errors to tack on another score. The run came as sophomore Jen Wisneski (Riverside, Calif.), who had reached on an error to lead off the inning, scored from third when Ram third baseman Robyn Mark muffed a grounder by Aztec senior All-American Erin Floros (San Diego/Mt. Carmel HS).
SDSU added two insurance runs the following frame as McCorkle and sophomore Traci Wolf (Lancaster, Calif.) hit back-to-back singles to give Alnes another chance at another RBI. Alnes didn't waste the opportunity and stroked the 1-0 pitch up the middle to plate McCorkle with the fourth run of the game. Following a productive groundout by sophomore Jessica Camello (Temecula, Calif.) that moved Wolf and Alnes into scoring position, Wisneski drove a long fly ball to the warning track in left field to score Wolf for San Diego State's final run of the game. Wisneski was credited with an RBI on the sacrifice fly.
Beasley (13-9), who on Tuesday earned her league-leading third MWC Pitcher of the Week honor, picked up the win after allowing five hits, all singles, without a walk over seven innings. She struck out eight and now has 48 over her past 31 innings (10.83 strikeouts-per-seven innings).
The Aztecs will host New Mexico at 6 p.m. Saturday and again at 1 p.m. Sunday.