April 15, 2016
SAN JOSE, Calif. -
The San Diego State softball team downed San José State, 9-6, to claim the first game of the weekend series Friday in San Jose, Calif. The Aztecs improved to 23-18 overall with the win and 5-8 in Mountain West play, while the Spartans dropped to 18-20 and 7-3.
SDSU spotted SJSU three runs in the bottom of the first, then scored the next seven runs before holding on for the 9-6 triumph.
San José State scored times in the first, including the last two runs with two outs. A sacrifice fly by Jessie Hufstetler scored Brittany Abacherli with the first run, while Madison Aurin's double plated Jessica Madrid and a single by Taylor Purdy scored Aurin.
After being held hitless through 2 2/3 innings, San Diego State got things going in the top of the third with two outs when senior Leia Ruiz (Chino, Calif.) blooped a single to left-center field, sophomore Jenavee Peres (Garden Grove, Calif.) drew a four-pitch walk and freshman Molly Sturdivant (Santa Ana, Calif.) was hit by a pitch. Junior Sydnee Cable (Huntington Beach, Calif.) came through with a single to left-center field to plate Ruiz and Peres. Junior Jaylene Ignacio (Oceanside, Calif./El Camino HS) followed with a double to left-center field to score Sturdivant with the tying run. Junior Frankie Orlando (Roseville, Calif.) kept things going with a two-run single to score Cable and Ignacio with the team's fourth and fifth runs of the game.
After a 1-2-3 inning by the Spartans in the bottom of the fourth, Camello drew a one-out walk. One batter later, Peres drilled a pitch over the left-field fence to put the Aztecs up by a 7-3 margin. It was her team-leading eighth home run of the season in just her 25th game.
SJSU got two runners on in the fourth before junior Ashley Ercolano (Poway, Calif./Poway HS) relieved classmate Erica Romero (Corona, Calif.). After a wild pitch which allowed both runners to move up a base, Ercolano got Alyssa Martinez to strike out to end the threat.
In the fifth, Purdy laced a double off the left-field wall to score Madrid to bring San José State to within three runs at 7-4.
SDSU answered in the sixth as sophomore Zaria Meshack (Vallejo, Calif.) reached on a one-out infield single, stole second and moved to third on a throwing error by Spartan catcher Alexandra Luna. Camello then drilled a hard-hit ball off the shortstop's glove that went down as a double and scored Meshack. After Ruiz moved Camello to third on a sacrifice bunt, Peres doubled down the right-field line to put San Diego State up, 9-4.
The Spartans would not go away, however, as Hufstetler's two-run single with the bases loaded brought the game back to a three-run margin.
Aztec sophomore Alex Formby (Orange, Calif.) retired SJSU in order in the seventh to secure the win for San Diego State.
Peres had two hits, including a home run and a double, three RBIs, two runs and a walk to lead the Aztecs. Camello finished with a double, two walks, an RBI and two runs, while Cable and Orlando each had a single and two RBIs.
Ercolano (2-2) picked up the win for SDSU after allowing three runs on two hits and a walk over two innings, while striking out one. Formby earned her third save of the season after yielding one hits over 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Romero started the game and gave up three runs (all in the first inning) on five hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings, striking out two.
Game two of the series is set for noon PT Saturday.
San Diego State 9, San José State 6
San Diego State (23-18, 5-8 MW) 005 202 0 -- 9 8 0
San José State (18-20, 7-3 MW) 300 012 0 -- 6 8 1
Romero, Ercolano (4), Formby (6) and Orlando; Riggs, Linford (5) and Luna
W - Ercolano, 2-2; L - Riggs, 6-3; SV - Formby, 3
HR: San Diego State, Peres (8)