April 17, 2009
SALT LAKE CITY -
The San Diego State softball team backed another fine pitching performance by freshman Bailey Micetich (Woodland, Calif.) and sophomore Samantha Beasley (San Diego/Steele Canyon HS) with 10 hits in a 3-0 victory over Utah Friday afternoon in Salt Lake City. The Aztecs (28-14), who are receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball national polls, improved to 5-1 in the Mountain West Conference with the victory, while the Utes dropped to 17-24 and 1-5.
SDSU has now won 10 of its last 11 games, 17 of its last 20, 19 of its last 23 and 23 of its last 29 contests. San Diego State has 17 shutouts on the season and has outscored its MWC opponents, 22-4, over its six league games.
Micetich, who was named the MWC Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday, started the game for the Aztecs and allowed four hits and no walks over 4 2/3 scoreless innings to improve to 15-4 with her 13th consecutive victory. She struck out four and stretched her scoreless streak to 31 1/3 innings.
Beasley tossed a perfect 2 1/3 innings of relief with two strikeouts to pick up her sixth save of the year, tying Celena Velasquez (2005) and Bre DeSanta (2002) for the most in a season in school history.
The duo had plenty of help at the plate as SDSU banged out 10 hits, including a career-high tying three by sophomore Jessica Camello (Temecula, Calif.). Camello also scored and had the game-winning RBI. Junior Brittany Knudsen (San Diego/Escondido HS) doubled, singled and drew a walk, while sophomore Jen Wisneski (Riverside, Calif.) had a key two-run single in the top of the fourth inning.
After leaving one of its eight runners on base in the first inning, San Diego State didn't waste its opportunity in the second. Senior Tonye McCorkle (Santa Ana Heights, Calif.) ran her hitting streak to nine games with a leadoff single and then stole second. Two batters later, Camello laced a single up the middle for the first run of the game.
In the fourth, the Aztecs tacked on two more scores thanks to some fundamental softball. Sophomore Traci Wolf (Lancaster, Calif.) singled and moved to second on a sacrifice by redshirt junior Monica Alnes (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.). Camello followed with another single and then stole second to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Wisneski drove in both runners with a clutch single up the middle for the final runs of the game.
Wisneski led SDSU's defense as well with a diving catch in foul territory to end the second frame. The strong defense of San Diego State also ended the Utes lone threat in the first inning. With Angie Boardman on first after being hit by a pitch on a 2-2 count, Whitney Holm doubled down the right field line. Wolf raced to the ball and began a relay that went to Alnes at first base and then to senior All-American Erin Floros (San Diego/Mt. Carmel HS), who easily applied the tag on Boardman at the plate, keeping Utah off the board.
The Aztecs will meet the Utes once again at 1 p.m. MT Saturday at Ute Field.