Feb. 6, 2014
Game 1: SDSU 7, Appalachian State 6 (8 inn.) html | pdf
Game 2: SDSU 6, Oregon State 3 html | pdf
TEMPE, Ariz. - The San Diego State softball team swept Appalachian State, 7-6, and Oregon State, 6-3, in a pair of come-from-behind wins Thursday night at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Aztecs (2-0) are now 13-1 over their last 14 season-opening games and 16-2 (.889) in lid-lifters under 18th-year head coach Kathy Van Wyk.
In the opening 7-6 win over the Mountaineers (0-1), SDSU rallied from a 6-2 deficit with a run in the sixth and three more in the seventh to force extra innings.
With the international tiebreaker in effect, San Diego State got through the top of the eighth unscathed and began the bottom half with junior Kayla Jordan (San Diego/Bonita Vista HS) on second base. After a walk drawn by senior Dominique Dinner (Monterey, Calif.), sophomore Monica Downey (San Diego/Madison HS) moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Junior Hayley Miles (Antelope, Calif.), playing in her first game since 2012 after redshirting the 2013 campaign, followed with a single to right field to give the Aztecs the walkoff victory.
Sophomore Kayla Bufardeci (Castro Valley, Calif.) led the way for SDSU offense by going 3-for-3 with a two-run homer and two runs scored. It was the first career homer and runs for the third baseman.
Freshman Sydnee Cable (Huntington Beach, Calif.) added two hits, including a double, and two RBIs, while Miles, senior Patrice Jackson (Kansas City, Mo.) and Downey each added RBIs.
Sophomore Danielle O'Toole (Upland, Calif.) got the win after scattering three hits over 2 2/3 innings of relief. She struck out two. Freshman Erica Romero (Corona, Calif.) started the game and gave up four runs (three earned) over four innings, allowing six hits and four walks, while striking out four. Fellow freshman Andi Smith (Orangeville, Utah) tossed the middle 1 1/3 innings, yielding two runs on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts.
Down, 3-1, in the nightcap, San Diego State used a five-run sixth inning to beat the Beavers (1-1), 6-3.
Cable continued her solid debut day with three hits, including a triple, and an RBI as the Aztecs outhit OSU, 10-6. Oregon State was coming off a 6-2 win over North Carolina State earlier in the afternoon.
Jackson had a solo home run, two RBIs and two runs and senior Katie Mathis (Grass Valley, Calif.) added two hits, a run and a walk. Junior Kaitlin Connors (San Diego/La Costa Canyon HS), meanwhile, had a two-run homer and a walk.
O'Toole (2-0) won her second game of the night, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks over seven innings. She struck out six.
SDSU continues its play in the Kajikawa Classic Friday with a single game against No. 22/20 Stanford at 3 p.m. MT (2 p.m. PT).
Kajikawa Classic
Tempe, Ariz. - Arizona State
February 6, 2014
Game 1: San Diego State 7, Appalachian State 6 (8 innings)
Appalachian State (0-1) 010 302 00 -- 6 12 1
San Diego State 010 101 31 -- 7 9 2
Schoelkopf, Landeros (8) and Warnock; Romero, Smith, O'Toole (6) and Orlando
W - O'Toole, 1-0; L - Landeros, 0-1
HR: Appalachian State, Seering (1); San Diego State, Bufardeci (1)
Game 2: San Diego State 6, Oregon State 3
San Diego State (2-0) 000 105 0 -- 6 10 1
Oregon State (1-1) 002 010 0 -- 3 6 3
O'Toole and Orlando; Najdek, Dembinski and Padilla
W - O'Toole, 2-0; L - Najdek, 0-1
HR: San Diego State, Jackson (1), Connors (1); Oregon State, Gilmore (1), Garcia (1)