March 19, 2017
SAN DIEGO -
San Diego State captured the final game of the weekend series with Fresno State, 6-3, Sunday at SDSU Softball Stadium. The Aztecs improved to 17-11 overall and 1-2 in Mountain West play, while the Bulldogs dropped to 19-10 and 2-1.
Down by a 1-0 score, SDSU scored three times in the bottom of the second to take a lead it would never relinquish. In the second, San Diego State had three hits and took advantage of a pair of FS errors. Molly Sturdivant (Santa Ana, Calif.) reached on a Fresno State error, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on another Bulldogs miscue when Sydnee Cable's (Huntington Beach, Calif.) sacrifice fly was misplayed by Kierra Willis in left field. Taylor Stewart (Bellflower, Calif.) followed with a double to score Cable and Shelby Thompson (Benicia, Calif.) singled to make it first and third with no outs. After a strikeout, Kiera Wright (Riverside, Calif.) single up the middle to plate Stewart with the final run of the inning.
Fresno State got a run back in the top of the third on a single by Savanna McHellon that scored Morgan Howe.
A two-run home run by Sturdivant in the bottom of the third put San Diego State up, 5-2. It was her seventh of the season, one more than she had last year as a freshman.
The Aztecs tacked on an insurance run in the fourth as Katie Byrd (Santee, Calif./West Hills HS) doubled and scored on a Sturdivant single.
After SDSU reliever Alex Formby (Orange, Calif.) got the Bulldogs in order in the sixth, San Diego State threatened again in the bottom half when Zaria Meshack (Vallejo, Calif.) and Byrd had back-to-back singles. Bulldog reliever McHellon, however, got the Aztecs' 3-4-5 hitters to fly out, pop out and ground out to keep it a 6-3 game.
In the seventh, FS got a pair of runners on base with one out on consecutive walks on 3-2 pitches to Howe and Willmon. Formby settled down and struck out McHellon swinging. With Willis, a three-time all-Mountain West selection and the defending league player of the year, at the plate, Peres attempted to pick off Willmon at first base. The first base umpire originally called Willmon safe, but after a brief discussion between the three umps, the home plate umpire called her out to end the game.
SDSU outhit Fresno State, 11-10, for the game and are now batting .348 on the season.
Sturdivant led San Diego State once again with two hits, three RBIs and two runs, while Thompson completed a solid weekend with a 2-for-2 outing and a walk. Thompson led the Aztecs with a .625 (5-for-8) average over the series with the Bulldogs.
Stewart had two hits, a RBI and a run, and Byrd added two hits and a run.
Julie McDonald (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS) started the game and allowed two runs on five hits over two innings. Erica Romero (Corona, Calif.) pitched the middle two innings, surrendering one run on five hits to pick up the win and improve to 5-3 on the season. Formby tossed a hitless three innings of relief, striking out four against just two walks. The right-hander earned her second save of the year as the Aztecs combined to limit the Bulldogs to a .077 average (1-for-13) with runners in scoring position.
SDSU travels to Fort Collins, Colo., for a three-game series with Colorado State this weekend, beginning 4 p.m. MT Friday.
Notes: San Diego State improved to 8-9 on the season against 2016 NCAA tournament teams … The Aztecs are now 6-0 on the year in games played on Sunday … SDSU improved to 11-3 when scoring at least six runs … San Diego State is now 9-2 on the year when leading after five innings … After losing their last two when leading at any point in a game, the Aztecs improved to 18-4 on the season when leading in a game … SDSU is now 15-2 when outhitting its opponents (2-9 when not leading or tied) … San Diego State improved to 11-3 when homering at least once in a game (6-8 when it does not homer) … 3B Molly Sturdivant recorded her team-leading ninth multi-RBI game of the year and eighth multi-hit contest … Sturdivant has 13 home runs for her career, the 10th most in school history … 2B Katie Byrd had her ninth multi-hit game of the season, the second most on the team … DP Taylor Stewart registered her eighth multi-hit game … SS Shelby Thompson had her sixth multi-hit game in 2016 … CF Kiera Wright and Thompson are the only two Aztec players to start all 28 games this year (both have started all the games at center field and shortstop, respectively) … 1B Sydnee Cable had her 98th RBI of her career, the ninth most in school history … Cable also had her seventh career sacrifice fly, tying Jenavee Peres and Erryn Gutjahr for the third most in program history … RHP Erica Romero won the 62nd game of her career and now only trails Sandra Durazo (87) and Christina Ross (70) in school history … RHP Alex Formby tied a season high with four strikeouts … Formby picked up the seventh save of her career at SDSU, tying Bre DeSanta (2002-03) for the third most in school history.
San Diego State 6, Fresno State 3
Fresno State (19-10, 2-1 MW) 101 010 0 -- 3 10 2
San Diego State (17-11, 1-2 MW) 032 100 x -- 6 11 2
Dung, Mejia (2), McHellon (5) and Willmon; McDonald, Romero (3), Formby (5) and Peres
W - Romero, 5-3; L - Dung, 13-6
HR: San Diego State, Sturdivant (7)