March 20, 2016
SANTEE, Calif. -
SDSU 6, UCSB 5 | TOURNAMENT PAGE
Freshman Molly Sturdivant (Santa Ana, Calif.) hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the San Diego State softball team to a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over UC Santa Barbara Sunday afternoon at the Sportsplex USA Santee in Santee, Calif. Out of 16 teams in the San Diego Classic II, the Aztecs (18-10) were the only team to go undefeated.
Sturdivant took the first pitch she saw in the seventh inning well over the left field fence for the team's second walk-off win in five games. It was the first homer of her career.
UCSB jumped out of the gate with three runs in the top of the first inning, thanks to an RBI double by Sierra Altmeyer and a two-run homer by Emily Brucelas.
After a 1-2-3 inning for SDSU, UC Santa Barbara took advantage of a San Diego State throwing error by scoring on a groundout to make it 4-0.
San Diego State responded in the bottom of the second, loading the bases on a Gaucho error, a single by junior Sydnee Cable (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and a walk by junior Jaylene Ignacio (Oceanside, Calif./El Camino HS). With two outs and a 3-2 count, sophomore Zaria Meshack (Vallejo, Calif.) hit a bouncing single through the left side to score junior Frankie Orlando (Roseville, Calif.) and, after a fielding error by the left fielder Kristen Clark, Cable as well.
Aztec junior Erica Romero (Corona, Calif.) got out of two jams in the third and fourth, respectively. The first situation was runners on first and third with one out in the third, and the second was bases loaded with one out in the fourth.
SDSU inched closer in the fifth as Meshack led off with a single, moved to second on a single by senior Samantha Camello (Temecula, Calif.) and to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior Leia Ruiz (Chino, Calif.). Junior Sam Vlot (Chowchilla, Calif.), who earlier in the game replaced sophomore All-American candidate Jenavee Peres (Garden Grove, Calif.), then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Meshack.
UCSB, however, took a 5-3 lead in the sixth on a single up the middle by Jessica Johnston.
San Diego State tied it up in the bottom half of the sixth as Orlando led off with a walk and was replaced by freshman Aris Metcalfe (Compton, Calif.). Cable followed with a single and, after a strikeout, Ignacio singled to load the bases. Meshack hit a hard chopper that was fielded by Melanie Menor at shortstop, who was able to get Cable at third, but allowed Metcalfe to score. Camello followed with a single up the middle to plate Ignacio with the tying run. Veronika Gulvin replaced starter Ashley Ludlow and got Vlot out on a check-swing grounder to move onto the seventh.
UC Santa Barbara threatened again in the top of the seventh, getting runners on the corners with two outs. Aztec sophomore pitcher Alex Formby (Orange, Calif.), however, got Stacy Cavazos to fly out to Ignacio in the center field, setting up Sturdivant's game-winning home run.
Cable, Camello and Meshack had two hits apiece to pace SDSU, which was outhit, 13-9, in the game. Meshack also had two RBIs and a run. Six different players scored a run for San Diego State.
Formby (6-4) picked up the win after allowing one run on five hits and a walk over two innings of relief. Freshman Julie McDonald (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS) started the game and gave up three runs on three hits in one inning of work. Romero pitched the middle four innings and yielded one unearned run on five hits, striking out one.
The Aztecs take their five-game winning streak into Mountain West play, beginning Thursday with a three-game series at UNLV.
San Diego State 6, UC Santa Barbara 5
UC Santa Barbara (14-14) 310 001 0 -- 5 13 2
San Diego State (18-10) 020 012 1 -- 6 9 1
Ludlow, Gulvin (6) and Stark; McDonald, Romero (2), Formby (6) and Peres, Orlando (2)
W - Formby, 6-4; L - Gulvin, 4-7
HR: San Diego State, Sturdivant (1); UC Santa Barbara, Brucelas (4)