SAN DIEGO -- Kelsey Munoz hit a walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give San Diego State a 7-5 win over Northern Illinois and a Friday night sweep at the 29th annual Campbell/Cartier Classic at SDSU Softball Stadium. The Aztecs (5-2) also beat Middle Tennessee, 2-1, in the opener.
SDSU entered the seventh inning with a 5-2 lead, but the Huskies (4-3) tied it on a three-run homer by Sam Schmidt.
San Diego State responded in the bottom half when Kiera Wright led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Katie Byrd. After a brief discussion with associate head coach/hitting coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz, Munoz took the first pitch she saw well over the center-field fence for the walk-off home run.
The Aztecs jumped out to a 3-0 lead, first getting on the scoreboard on a solo homer by Alicia Garcia in the second inning. It was the first of her Division I career for Garcia, who transferred from Palomar College in the summer.
SDSU tacked on two runs in the third as Taylor Adams reached on a bunt single and scored on a triple by Wright over shifted NIU infield. Byrd then blooped a single to right-center field to make it a 3-0 game.
Northern Illinois scored twice in the top of the fourth as a double by Abby Howlett plated Jessica Rio and Kara Apato later scored on a wild pitch.
San Diego State got those two runs back in the bottom of the fourth when Megan Smith singled and Wright doubled to put a pair of runners in scoring position. Byrd attempted to move the runners on a suicide squeeze, but Smith didn't run all the way home. Byrd then collided with Huskies' Howlett at first base and, when she attempted to throw the ball home, bounced the ball off of Byrd and into the NIU dugout, allowing both Smith and Wright to score.
Northern Illinois, however, tied it in the top of the seventh before Munoz ended the game with her second home run of the season.
Wright was a home run short of a cycle and scored three runs with an RBI, while Munoz had three hits, two RBIs and a run for the Aztecs.
Marissa Moreno picked up the win after allowing three runs on five hits and a walk over four innings of relief, striking out six. She is now 2-1 on the season. MJ James started the game and yielded two runs on five hits and three walks over three innings.
In the opener, SDSU scored both of its runs in the bottom of the first, which proved to be enough in a 2-1 win over the Blue Raiders (3-4). Molly Sturdivant singled in Byrd for the first run and Munoz later scored on a MT error.
Middle Tennessee halved San Diego State's lead in the top of the third thanks to an RBI double by Jocelynn De La Cruz that scored Summer Burgess.
It would be the only run for the Blue Raiders as the 1-2 punch of James (2-1) and Moreno kept them at bay all game.
MT's biggest threat came in the fifth when it loaded the bases with one out off of James. Moreno replaced James in the circle and got De La Cruz to ground into a double play as Adams touched first base and threw home to Sturdivant, who tagged the speedy Savannah Freeman at the plate.
Moreno also stranded runners in the sixth and the seventh to pick up her first save of the season, allowing one hit and a walk over 2 2/3 innings of relief, striking out one. James gave up just one run on four hits and a walk over 4 1/3 innings, collecting one strikeout.
The Aztec hits came by Garcia, Munoz, Smith and Sturdivant.
THE NOTE
The Aztecs are 3-0 in one-run games this season and 4-0 in games decided by two or less runs.
STAT OF THE DAY
SDSU picked up its third walk-off win of the season in a 7-5 victory over Northern Illinois. San Diego State had two walk-off victories all last season.
UP NEXT
San Diego State wraps up its play in the Campbell/Cartier Classic on Saturday with games against UC Santa Barbara (4:30 p.m. PT) and Grand Canyon (7 p.m. PT).
Game 1: San Diego State 2, Middle Tennessee 1
Middle Tennessee (3-4) 001 000 0 -- 1 5 2
San Diego State 200 000 x -- 2 4 0
Pinkston and King; James, Moreno (5) and Sturdivant
W - James, 2-1; L - Pinkston, 1-1; SV: Moreno, 1
Game 2: San Diego State 7, Northern Illinois 5
Northern Illinois (4-3) 000 200 3 -- 5 10 1
San Diego State (5-2) 012 200 2 -- 7 10 0
Frenz, Goetschus (3), Bryan (7) and Keller; James, Moreno (4) and Sturdivant
W - Moreno, 2-1; L - Goetschus, 1-1
HR: Northern Illinois, Schmidt (2); San Diego State, Garcia (1), Munoz (2)
Softball Wins Two at Campbell/Cartier Classic
