May 5, 2017
SAN DIEGO -
San Diego State opened its final regular-season home series with a 5-3 win over UNLV Friday night at SDSU Softball Stadium. The Aztecs (27-17) are now tied with Nevada for third place in the Mountain West standings at 11-8, two games back of both San José State (13-6) and Utah State (14-7).
SDSU got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the second inning when Megan Smith's (Valencia, Calif.) bases loaded single scored Sydnee Cable (Huntington Beach, Calif.).
The Rebels (23-24, 6-13 MW) tied it in the top of the third with a solo home run by Alyssa Navarro.
San Diego State answered in the fourth with some small ball as Frankie Orlando (Roseville, Calif.) singled and was replaced by Aris Metcalfe (Compton, Calif.). Metcalfe promptly stole second base and scored when Jaylene Ignacio (Oceanside, Calif./El Camino HS) ripped a hard-hit ball off the glove of UNLV third baseman Jadelyn Yadao-Valdez for a double. Ignacio moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and then scored on a groundout by Zaria Meshack (Vallejo, Calif.).
Down by a 3-1 score, the Rebels got one back in the fifth as Yadao-Valdez reached on one of the Aztecs' three errors and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Navarro.
SDSU added to its lead in the bottom half of the fifth when Cable hit a two-run homer over the center-field fence. It was Cable's sixth home run of the season and 14th of her career.
UNLV scored one more time in the seventh on a Navarro single off the leg of San Diego State pitcher Alex Formby (Orange, Calif.) that plated Reina Bondi. After the Aztec coaching and athletic training staff checked on Formby, who was deemed able to continue, she retired Justine Federe and Charlie Masterson on two pitches (both flyouts) to end the game and pick up the save.
Each team had eight hits, led by Cable and Navarro, respectively. Cable was a perfect 3-for-3 with a homer, a double, two RBIs and two runs for SDSU, while Navarro had two hits and drove in all three runs for the Rebels.
Ignacio had the RBI double, a run and a walk for San Diego State, and Shelby Thompson (Benicia, Calif.) also reached twice with a walk and a hit by pitch.
Erica Romero (Corona, Calif.) picked up the win after allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits over four innings. She struck out two and is now 9-5 on the year. Formby recorded her fifth save of the season (10th of career), giving up one run on two hits and a walk over three innings of relief, while striking out three.
With rain scheduled for Sunday, the Aztecs and UNLV will play a doubleheader Saturday. The first game is set for 3 p.m. PT with the nightcap scheduled for 6 p.m. PT. In between games a special ceremony will honor the five SDSU seniors in Cable, Ashley Ercolano (Poway, Calif./Poway HS), Ignacio, Orlando and Romero.
San Diego State 5, UNLV 3
UNLV (23-24, 6-13 MW) 001 010 1 -- 3 8 0
San Diego State (27-17, 11-8 MW) 010 220 x -- 5 8 3
Ettinger and Stover; Romero, Formby (5) and Peres
W - Romero, 9-5; L - Ettinger, 12-15; SV - Formby, 5
HR: UNLV, Navarro (6); San Diego State, Cable (6)