Feb. 22, 2014
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -
In a game that started 1 hour, 15 minutes late, the San Diego State softball team fell to No. 16/18 Missouri, 11-2, in five innings Friday night 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 polls, dropped their second straight game for the first time this season and are now 9-4. Three of SDSU's four losses this year have come against nationally ranked schools.
San Diego State scored the first two runs of the game in the top of the first inning as senior Katie Mathis (Grass Valley, Calif.) reached on a Tiger (7-2) error and moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by senior Dominique Dinner (Monterey, Calif.). Freshman Sydnee Cable (Huntington Beach, Calif.) followed with a single to center field to put the Aztecs up, 1-0. After a strikeout, junior Kayla Jordan (San Diego/Bonita Vista HS) was hit by a pitch. Freshman Frankie Orlando (Roseville, Calif.) then drove in Cable with a single to center to give SDSU the early 2-0 advantage.
Mizzou, however, responded with four runs in the bottom of the first, five in the third and two more in the fourth to compete the 11-2, run-rule victory.
Two errors in the early innings killed San Diego State as only six of the 11 Missouri runs in the game were earned.
Junior Kaitlin Connors (San Diego/La Costa Canyon HS) and sophomore Monica Downey (San Diego/Madison HS) joined Cable, Mathis and Orlando with singles for the Aztecs, who were outhit, 10-5, in the contest.
Freshman Erica Romero (Corona, Calif.) took the loss after allowing nine runs (four earned) on eight hits and three walks. The right-hander struck out one and is now 1-3 on the season. Classmate Andi Smith (Orangeville, Utah) replaced Romero in the third inning and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks over the final 1 1/3 innings without recording a strikeout.
SDSU will look to snap a modest two-game losing streak Saturday with a game against Northwestern at 12:30 p.m. PT.
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
Cathedral City, Calif.
February 21, 2014
No. 16/18 Missouri 11, San Diego State 2 (5 innings)
San Diego State (9-4) 200 00 -- 2 5 2
Missouri (7-2) 405 2 x -- 11 10 1
Romero, Smith (3) and Orlando; Finucane, Stangel (5) and Mack
W - Finucane, 4-1; L - Romero, 1-3