May 3, 2015
LOGAN, Utah -
The San Diego State softball team homered a school-record six times in a 10-4 victory over Utah State Sunday afternoon in Logan, Utah. The win gave the Aztecs (35-18, 18-6 MW) a series sweep over the Aggies (16-36, 8-13 MW).
SDSU, which has now won five consecutive games, received two home runs from sophomore Sydnee Cable (Huntington Beach, Calif.), and one apiece from seniors Kayla Jordan (San Diego/Bonita Vista HS) and Hayley Miles (Antelope, Calif.), junior Kayla Bufardeci (Castro Valley, Calif.) and freshman Taylor Stewart (Bellflower, Calif.). The six homers eclipsed the team's previous record of five, which was done three times in program history, and give San Diego State 58 for the season in 53 games, tying the 2012 squad for the most in school history.
Down, 4-1, after two innings, the Aztecs scored the final nine runs of the game for the 10-4 victory.
Jordan paced the SDSU offense by going 4-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, three runs and a stolen base. Junior Leia Ruiz (Chino, Calif.) was 2-for-2 with an RBI, run and a walk, while Cable (two homers) and Miles (solo home run) each went 2-for-4. Senior Lorena Bauer (San Diego/Steele Canyon HS) and Stewart also added a hit, RBI and a walk.
San Diego State sophomore pitcher Erica Romero (Corona, Calif.) picked up the win after allowing four runs on 10 hits, four walks and a hit batter over seven innings. She struck out one and is now 33-15 on the season.
The Aztecs took the 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Jordan led off with a single, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Ruiz and scored on a groundout by Bauer.
USU took its first lead of the series in the bottom of the first when Noelle Johnson's two-run homer sailed over the left field fence. Two more runners got in base in the inning on a double and a single, but SDSU's Romero got out of the jam by getting Brina Buttacavoli (popout) and Nicole Arata (groundout) out on consecutive at-bats.
Johnson got Utah State two more runs in the bottom of the second with a two-run double just out of the reach of Miles in center field.
San Diego State bounced back in the third inning, thanks to some small ball and timely hitting. Miles singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Samantha Camello (Temecula, Calif.). Jordan followed with a single up the middle to score Miles and moved to second on the late throw home. Ruiz then took the first pitch she saw up the middle to plate Jordan, bringing the Aztecs within one run at 4-3.
SDSU took the lead back in the fourth as Stewart and Bufardeci homered in back-to-back at-bats. It was Stewart's second of the weekend series and third of the season, while Bufardeci homered for the fourth time on the year. It was the first time in 2015 that San Diego State homered in consecutive plate appearances.
The Aztecs stretched their lead to 7-4 with two more runs in the fifth, thanks to a leadoff home run by Jordan, her ninth of the year, and a sacrifice fly by freshman Jenavee Peres (Garden Grove, Calif.) to score Ruiz from third base.
Cable continued SDSU's power surge in the sixth with a leadoff homer over the left field wall. It was Cable's sixth of the season. Miles later added another solo home run, her fifth of the year.
The Aggies threatened in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with two outs on back-to-back singles and a walk. Romero, however, got Alleyah Armendariz to ground out to end the inning.
Cable completed San Diego State's scoring with a solo home run in the seventh.
The Aztecs play host to Oregon State in a non-conference two-game series, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. PT.
San Diego State 10, Utah State 4
San Diego State (34-18, 17-6 MW 102 222 1 -- 10 13 1
Utah State (16-35, 8-12 MW 220 000 0 -- 4 10 2
Romero and Peres; Koons, Johnson (1) and Buttacavoli
W - Romero, 33-15; L - Johnson, 14-16
HR: San Diego State, Stewart (3), Bufardeci (4), Jordan (9), Cable 2 (6, 7), Miles (5); Utah State, Johnson (6)