March 23, 2010
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - San Diego State's Brittany Knudsen (San Diego/Escondido HS) and Samantha Beasley (San Diego/Steele Canyon HS) swept the Mountain West Conference weekly awards, the league announced Tuesday. Knudsen was named the MWC Player of the Week, while Beasley captured MWC Pitcher-of-the-Week honors.
Knudsen and Beasley led the Aztecs (19-9) to a 4-1 record last week at the San Diego Classic II with their only loss coming in nine innings to No. 22/20 Texas A&M. It was Knudsen's first award of the season and third of her career, while Beasley picked up her fourth accolade of 2010 and eighth of her career.
Knudsen batted a team-best .571 (8-for-14) (rest of the team combined for a .236 average) over the five games. The senior also led SDSU in runs (5), hits (8), doubles (1, tied), total bases (9), slugging percentage (.643), walks (3) and on-base percentage (.647). Knudsen also stole a pair of bases and added three RBIs.
On Thursday, Knudsen doubled, drew a walk and scored the game-winning run in San Diego State's 2-1 victory over No. 25/rv Massachusetts. Against Kansas on Friday, Knudsen was 3-for-4 with three runs and a stolen base in the Aztecs' 10-2, six-inning win. On Saturday versus Harvard, Knudsen was 2-for-3 with a run, a walk, a stolen base and the eventual game-winning RBI in SDSU's 4-0 shutout.
In the team's nine-inning, 4-0 loss to No. 22/20 Texas A&M on Sunday, Knudsen reached three times in four plate appearances (rest of the team reached three times in 29 tries) on two singles and a walk. Knudsen wrapped up her weekend with an RBI in San Diego State's 4-1 triumph over Oregon State on Monday.
For the season, Knudsen leads the Aztecs in batting average (.370), hits (30), doubles (4, tied), triples (1, tied), walks (12), on-base percentage (.452), sacrifice hits (5, tied) and stolen bases (9).
Beasley went 3-1 in the circle with a 1.24 ERA over 22 2/3 innings with two of the games coming against nationally ranked opponents. The junior righthander struck out 46 with just four walks (11.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio), while limiting her opponents to a .163 batting average. She averaged 14.20 strikeouts per seven innings over her four appearances.
On Thursday, Beasley got the win against No. 25/rv UMass, allowing one run on six hits and a walk over 6 2/3 innings. She struck out 10 and was just one out from a complete game. Against Kansas on Friday, Beasley picked up her eighth consecutive victory after striking out all seven batters she faced in relief. She did not give up a hit over the final 2 1/3 innings. In fact, the Jayhawks only made contact (fouled strikes) on four of Beasley's 29 pitches.
On Sunday against No. 22/20 Texas A&M, Beasley struck out a school-record, Mountain West Conference record and SDSU Softball Stadium record 21 batters in SDSU's 4-0, nine-inning loss. Beasley struck out the side in the fifth, sixth and eighth inning, and two each in the first, second, third, fourth, seventh and ninth. Nineteen of the 21 strikeouts were swinging, as Beasley had a one-hitter going until the eighth inning. The Aggies, who have won 11 consecutive games and are 27-6, scored four runs (three earned) off Beasley in the top of the ninth inning during the international tiebreaker rule. Over the nine innings, Beasley allowed five hits (.161) and two walks against a team that came into the game with a .311 average and 34 homers.
On Monday night, Beasley relieved starter Bailey Micetich (Woodland, Calif.) with two runners on and a 2-1 San Diego State advantage in the third before striking out the next two batters to end the threat. She picked up the win after striking out eight over 4 2/3 innings of relief, allowing two hits and a walk.
On the season, Beasley is 14-6 with a 0.92 ERA over 114 innings. She has 184 strikeouts (11.30 strikeouts per seven innings) against 21 walks (8.76 strikeout-to-walk ratio), while limiting opponents to a .164 batting average.
The Aztecs resume competition on March 30 with a game at Long Beach State beginning at 2 p.m.