May 2, 2014
SAN JOSE, Calif. -
The San Diego State softball team rallied from a 3-1 deficit with seven unanswered runs to close the game in an 8-3 victory over San José State Friday afternoon in San Jose, Calif. The Aztecs, who tied a season high with 15 hits, improved to 35-16 overall and 12-7 in Mountain West play, while the Spartans dropped to 27-22 and 10-9.
SDSU got on the scoreboard first in the top of the first inning when junior Kayla Jordan (San Diego/Bonita Vista HS) reached on a SJSU error and moved to second on a single by senior Katie Mathis (Grass Valley, Calif.). One batter later, freshman Sydnee Cable (Huntington Beach, Calif.) ripped a single through the left side to score Jordan with the first run of the game.
San José State answered in its bottom half as Devin Caldwell and Michelle Cox each singled, before Jessica Garcia cleared the bases with a home run over the left-center field wall.
San Diego State tied the game up in the fourth thanks to a pair of hits and two walks. Senior Hayley Miles (Antelope, Calif.) led off with a walk and senior Dominique Dinner (Monterey, Calif.) followed with a single up the middle, which allowed each runner to advance another base. Following a popout, sophomore Leia Ruiz (Chino, Calif.) singled through the left side to plate Miles. Dinner then scored from third on Jordan's groundout to second.
The Aztecs took the lead in the fifth, scoring four times on seven hits. Highlighting the decisive inning for SDSU was a two-run homer by freshman Jaylene Ignacio (Oceanside/El Camino HS) that also scored junior Jacki Campa (La Verne, Calif.). Ruiz finished the scoring for San Diego State with a two-run single that plated Dinner and sophomore Monica Downey (San Diego/Madison HS).
The Aztecs took advantage of two Spartan errors in the seventh to score their final run when freshman Frankie Orlando (Roseville, Calif.) scored from third on a fielder's choice by Ruiz.
SDSU outhit San José State, 15-6, and also added five walks and two stolen bases.
Downey had three hits, a run and a stolen base to lead San Diego State, while Ruiz added two hits and three RBIs. Four other Aztecs added two hits apiece, including Mathis (2-for-4, walk), Dinner (2-for-3, two runs, stolen base), Cable (2-for-3, RBI) and Jordan (2-for-5, RBI, run).
Ignacio had the two-run home run, Miles had a double, a run and a walk and senior Patrice Jackson (Kansas City, Mo.) walked for the 58th time this year in 51 games. Sophomore Victoria Kobold (Concord, Calif.) and Orlando each drew a walk off the bench with Orlando scoring SDSU's eighth run of the game.
San Diego State sophomore Danielle O'Toole (Upland, Calif.) finished the game in style, retiring 18 of the final 19 batters she faced, including each of the last 12. O'Toole (26-7) allowed three runs (all in the first inning) on six hits (five in the first) over seven innings, while striking out one without issuing a walk.
The Aztecs and Spartans play the second game of the weekend series at 1 p.m. PT Saturday.
NOTES: SDSU won its 35th game of the season and now has 35-plus wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since doing so five straight years from 2000-04 ... At 35-16, San Diego State has its third-best winning percentage (.686) in school history and best since its school-record 2008 season (44-17, .721) ... The Aztecs tied their season high with 15 hits (also North Dakota on March 9) ... SDSU improved to 13-1 when scoring eight or more runs and 26-8 when holding the opposition to three or less runs ... San Diego State also improved to 23-5 when scoring first and 14-4 when scoring in the first inning ... The Aztecs have now won 28 straight games when leading after five innings (20-0 this year) ... SDSU is also 33-5 this year when leading at any point in the game and 28-2 when outhitting its opponent ... SS Monica Downey set a season high and tied a career high with three hits ... It was Downey's fourth multi-hit game of the year ... 3B Leia Ruiz had her 12th multi-hit game of the year and third multi-run contest ... C Dominique Dinner had her 12th multi-hit game of the season and third multi-run contest ... Dinner became the seventh Aztec in school history with 20 stolen bases in a season ... 1B Sydnee Cable recorded her team-high 14th multi-hit game of the year ... DP Kayla Jordan had her 13th multi-hit game of the season ... Jordan (100) became the seventh SDSU player in program history with 100 or more career runs ... 2B Katie Mathis recorded her 13th multi-hit game of the year ... LF Jaylene Ignacio homered for the fifth time this season, all of which have come in the past nine games ... Ignacio had her fourth multi-RBI game of the year, sixth go-ahead RBI and third game-winning RBI ... PR Jacki Campa recorded her second go-ahead run of the season and second game-winning run ... CF Hayley Miles had a double, giving her 308 career total bases (tied for third in SDSU career history).
San Diego State 8, San José State 3
San Diego State (35-16, 12-7 MW) 100 240 1 -- 8 15 0
San José State (27-22, 10-9 MW 300 000 0 -- 3 6 3
O'Toole and Dinner, Orlando (5); Linford, Fish (5) and Garcia
W - O'Toole, 26-7; L - Linford, 9-12
HR: San Diego State, Ignacio (5); San José State, Garcia (10)