Feb. 22, 2015
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -
Freshman Jenavee Peres (Garden Grove, Calif.) highlighted a seven-run fourth inning with a grand slam to lead the San Diego State softball team to a 11-5 victory over Stanford on the final day of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Sunday afternoon in Cathedral City, Calif. The Aztecs (8-6), who are receiving votes in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, snapped a four-game losing streak.
Peres had a breakout game, going 3-for-4 with a grand slam and her first five RBIs of the season. Junior Kayla Bufardeci (Castro Valley, Calif.) continued her hot start to the 2015 season with two hits and three RBIs, while senior Lorena Bauer (San Diego/Steele Canyon HS) had two hits and two RBIs.
Sophomore Sydnee Cable (Huntington Beach, Calif.) added two hits, two runs and a walk, freshman Taylor Stewart (Bellflower, Calif.) singled and drew two walks and junior Monica Downey (San Diego/Madison HS) had an RBI, run and a walk as SDSU outhit the Cardinal (9-8), 12-8.
Stanford, which is receiving votes in both national polls, jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning, highlighted by a bases loaded double by Kaitlin Schaberg. San Diego State, however, came storming back with the next 11 runs of the game, including three scores in the bottom of the third, seven more in the fourth and an insurance run in the sixth. The Cardinal added a late run in the seventh to round out the scoring.
In the third, senior Hayley Miles (Antelope, Calif.) led off with a single and one batter later advanced to second on a single by Cable. After a foulout, both players moved up a base on a wild pitch before Bufardeci cleared the bases in with a single up the middle. Bufardeci later scored on a single down the left field line by Peres to bring SDSU to within one at 4-3 after three innings.
In the decisive fourth, San Diego State used four hits, including the grand slam by Peres, and four walks to score seven runs. Bauer drove in the Aztecs' first two runs of the inning on a single up the middle that scored Downey and Kayla Jordan (San Diego/Bonita Vista HS). Bufardeci later added a single up the middle to plate Cable, before Peres took an 0-2 pitch over the outfield fence for her first career home run.
A fielder's choice grounder by Downey in the sixth scored sophomore Jaylene Ignacio (Oceanside, Calif./El Camino HS) for SDSU's final run of the game.
Stanford got the final run of the game in the seventh on a pinch-hit RBI groundout by Alyssa Lombardo, which scored Kylie Sorenson.
Cable (2-1) got the win for San Diego State after allowing one run on three hits and two walks over the 4 1/3 innings of relief. The left-hander struck out two. Sophomore Erica Romero (Corona, Calif.) started in the circle for the Aztecs and gave up four runs on five hits and five walks over 2 2/3 innings, while striking out two.
SDSU co-hosts the San Diego Classic I this weekend, beginning with a pair of games on Thursday vs. St. John's (4:30 p.m. PT) and Cal Poly (7 p.m. PT). San Diego State also plays Iowa State (4:30 p.m. PT) and No. 2/2 Oregon (7 p.m. PT) on Saturday, and the defending national champion and current No. 1/1 Florida at 11:30 a.m. PT Sunday.
Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
Cathedral City, Calif.
February 22, 2015
San Diego State 11, Stanford 5
Stanford (9-8) 004 000 1 -- 5 8 1
San Diego State (8-6) 003 701 x -- 11 12 1
Sorenson, Wells (4), Snyder (4), Sorenson (4) and Pettit; Romero, Cable (3) and Peres
W - Cable, 2-1; L - Wells, 0-1
HR: San Diego State, Peres (1)