Feb. 22, 2014
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -
The San Diego State softball team dropped a 4-2 decision to Northwestern Saturday afternoon at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. The Aztecs, who are receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, are now 9-5 on the season, while the Wildcats, who are also getting votes in the USA Today/NFCA poll, improved to 9-3.
NU struck first in the top of the third inning after loading the bases with two outs before Marisa Bast was hit by a pitch, which allowed Julia Kuhn to score the unearned run. SDSU sophomore left-hander Danielle O'Toole (Upland, Calif.) then got out of the jam by getting Andrea DiPima to pop up to sophomore shortstop Monica Downey (San Diego/Madison HS).
San Diego State matched Northwestern in the bottom half of the third, also loading the bases with two outs thanks to a double by freshman Jaylene Ignacio (Oceanside, Calif./El Camino HS), Downey reaching on a Wildcat throwing error and a walk on a 3-2 pitch by freshman Sydnee Cable (Huntington Beach, Calif.). Senior Patrice Jackson (Kansas City, Mo.) then drew her team-leading 17th walk of the season to plate Ignacio with the tying run. Like Northwestern in the top half of the frame, however, the Aztecs left three runners on base with a strikeout looking.
NU tacked on three more scores in the fourth on an RBI single by Kuhn and a two-run double by Tonz. Tonz would stay at second base, though, as O'Toole struck out leadoff hitter Emily Allard swinging and induced Mari Majam to ground out to Downey to end the inning.
The scored remained 4-1 in favor of Northwestern until the sixth when Jackson took the first pitch she saw over the left-center field fence. After 14 games, Jackson now leads SDSU in almost every offensive category, including batting average (.438), runs (11), hits (14, tied), home runs (6), RBIs (14), total bases (34), slugging percentage (1.063), walks (17) and on-base percentage (.633).
San Diego State would get one runner on the rest of the game - a two-out double by senior Katie Mathis (Grass Valley, Calif.) in the seventh - but was unable to get the tying score across the plate.
Jackson had both RBIs for the Aztecs, who were outhit, 8-4, in the contest. Cable, Ignacio and Mathis had the other hits, while Cable also reached via walk. Senior Dominique Dinner (Monterey, Calif.) stole her team-leading sixth base of the year and Downey swiped her second.
O'Toole (8-2) took the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits and a hit batter over seven innings. She struck out four.
SDSU wraps up its play in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Sunday with a 4:30 p.m. PT game vs. Oklahoma State.
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
Cathedral City, Calif.
February 22, 2014
Northwestern 4, San Diego State 2
Northwestern (9-3) 001 300 0 -- 4 8 1
San Diego State (9-5) 001 001 0 -- 2 4 1
Wood and Tonz; O'Toole and Dinner
W - Wood, 5-2; L - O'Toole, 8-2
HR: San Diego State, Jackson (6)