Feb. 21, 2015
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -
The San Diego State softball team dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 11/9 Kentucky Saturday night at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif., near Palm Springs. The Aztecs fell to 7-6 on the season with five of their losses coming against nationally ranked teams and all six against teams that made last year's NCAA tournament.
SDSU took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, but the Wildcats (11-3) rallied with five consecutive scores to close out the win.
In the second, senior Lorena Bauer (San Diego/Steele Canyon HS) led off with a double to left-center field and was replaced by pinch runner Victoria Kobold (Concord, Calif.). Junior Kayla Bufardeci (Castro Valley, Calif.) followed with an infield single, which moved Kobold to third. After senior Briana Gamm (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) took over for Bufardeci, sophomore Sydnee Cable (Huntington Beach, Calif.) singled through the left side to plate Kobold with the first run of the game. After a groundout by sophomore Frankie Orlando (Roseville, Calif.), which moved Gamm and Cable up a base, junior Samantha Camello's (Temecula, Calif.) sacrifice fly plated Gamm to give San Diego State the 2-0 lead.
UK, however, took advantage of a pair of Aztec errors and scored three times on just two hits in the bottom of the second.
SDSU had a good chance to rebound in the fourth after Bauer drew a leadoff walk and Bufardeci singled. Cable (1-1) grounded out to the first baseman, which allowed Bauer and Bufardeci to have San Diego State two runners in scoring position with just one out. The Aztecs, however, had their inning come to an end with back-to-back fielder's choice plays.
Kentucky added solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings for the final runs of the game.
Bufardeci had two of SDSU's seven hits in the game, while Bauer doubled and had a walk. Five others added a hit for San Diego State.
Cable took the loss after allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk over four innings. She struck out one. Sophomore Erica Romero (Corona, Calif.) pitched the final two frames and gave up one run on four hits and a hit batter.
San Diego State wraps up the MNCC against Stanford at 2 p.m. PT Sunday.
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
Cathedral City, Calif.
February 21, 2015
No. 11/9 Kentucky 5, San Diego State 2
San Diego State (7-6) 020 000 0 -- 2 7 2
Kentucky (11-3) 030 011 x -- 5 8 0
Cable, Romero (5) and Orlando; Prince, Nunley (5) and Joiner
W - Prince, 6-2; L - Cable, 1-1; SV - Nunley, 1