May 16, 2009
TEMPE, Ariz. - The San Diego State softball team was unable to match Cal State Fullerton's power in an 8-2 loss Saturday night at the NCAA Tempe Regional on the campus of Arizona State. The loss eliminated the Aztecs (33-20) from the postseason, while the Titans (30-20), who homered five times, advanced to play the host Sun Devils (41-17) at 8 p.m.
CSUF received a trio of two-run homers by Courtney Martinez (first inning), Trina Harrison (third) and pinch hitter Morgan Lemond (sixth), and solo ones by Torrie Anderson (fifth) and Harrison (sixth) to account for all of its runs. The SDSU pitching staff had surrendered just 11 home runs (eight solo) over its previous 300 innings before Cal State Fullerton struck for the five blasts. Coming into the game, the most homers allowed by San Diego State this season had been two (four times).
The Aztecs tried to make a game of it in the fifth when they loaded the bases with one out. Following a strikeout by freshman Ashley Rose (Antioch, Calif.), senior Erin Floros (San Diego/Mt. Carmel HS) reached on a fielder's choice to the Titan shortstop Courtney Anderson. Anderson's throw to third baseman Francesca Gonzales, however, was dropped, which allowed redshirt senior Dani Sidoti (Tucson, Ariz.) and sophomore Jen Wisneski (Riverside, Calif.) to score and bring SDSU within two scores at 4-2.
The Titans scored one more in the fifth and three in the sixth, however, to break open the game to end San Diego State's season.
Junior Brittany Knudsen (San Diego/Escondido HS) and senior Tonye McCorkle (Santa Ana Heights, Calif.), who was named to the all-regional team, each singled twice to lead the Aztec offense. Floros, sophomore Jessica Camello (Temecula, Calif.) and sophomore Jen Wisneski (Riverside, Calif.) also added solo hits.
Sophomore Samantha Beasley (San Diego/Steele Canyon HS) (14-13) took the loss after yielding four runs on four hits and two walks in four innings. She struck out four. Freshman Bailey Micetich (Woodland, Calif.) gave up four runs on six hits in two innings of relief.