May 5, 2018
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -
San Diego State 7, New Mexico 3
Backed by a season-high 15 hits and a complete game from starting pitcher Julie McDonald, San Diego State evened its series with New Mexico in a 7-3 victory Saturday afternoon at Lobo Softball Field in Albuquerque, N.M. The rubber game of the weekend series between the Aztecs (17-30, 8-12 MW) and the Lobos (13-36, 6-14 MW) is noon MT (11 a.m. PT) Sunday.
Tied at 2-2 after three innings, SDSU outscored UNM, 5-1, the rest of the game.
Katie Byrd had three hits and a run to pace the San Diego State offense. Shelby Thompson reached base safely in four of her five plate appearances, including two hits, two RBIs, a run and a walk. Taylor Stewart had two hits, a walk and two RBIs, while three others - Megan Smith, Molly Sturdivant and Kiera Wright - added two hits apiece.
McDonald (3-3), meanwhile, allowed three runs on six hits and two walks, striking out two batters in her second complete game of the season.
SDSU, which left 11 on base on Friday night in a 5-2 loss to UNM, including the bases loaded in the seventh, quickly loaded the bases today in the top of the first inning when Thompson reached on an error, and Byrd and Stewart each singled. With two outs, however, Taylor Adams popped out to second baseman Kasey Halleen to leave the bases loaded.
New Mexico got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first when Cameryn O'Grady hit a two-out triple and Chelsea Johnson followed with a single through the left side. Andrea Howard followed with a walk and both runners moved up later on a passed ball, but McDonald got out of the inning by striking out D'Andra DeFlora looking.
The Aztecs answered in the third as Wright singled and Thompson followed with a home run well over the center-field fence. It was Thompson's fifth homer of the year.
The Lobos tied it in the bottom of the third when O'Grady hit a solo home run over the right-field wall.
SDSU took back its lead in the fourth when Wright's double scored Smith from second base. Wright later scored from third as the UNM second baseman forgot how many outs there were in the inning.
San Diego State tacked on an insurance run in the fifth as Smith's single up the middle plated Adams, making it 5-2 Aztecs.
In the sixth, Stewart ripped a two-run triple down the left-field line to put SDSU up by five runs. It was Stewart's first career triple.
UNM cut into the San Diego State lead in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run over the left-field wall by Johnson.
McDonald retired New Mexico in order in the seventh to secure the complete game win.
NOTE I
The Aztecs are outhitting the Lobos, 25-14, over the two games of the series so far, but have left 22 on base to UNM's 8.
NOTE II
SDSU won its eighth straight game when leading after five innings (10-1 this season).
NOTE III
San Diego State improved to 12-7 on the season when outhitting its opponent.
UP NEXT
The final game of the weekend series between SDSU and UNM is noon MT (11 a.m. PT) Sunday.
San Diego State 7, New Mexico 3
San Diego State (17-30, 8-12 MW) 002 212 0 -- 7 15 0
New Mexico (13-36, 6-14 MW) 101 001 0 -- 3 6 2
McDonald and Sturdivant; Fortner, Main (4) and Broderick
W - McDonald, 3-3; L - Fortner, 3-8
HR: San Diego State, Thompson (5); New Mexico, O'Grady (4), Johnson (9)