SAN DIEGO – San Diego State used a four-run sixth inning to rally past CSUN, 7-4, in the San Diego Classic finale Sunday afternoon at SDSU Softball Stadium. The Aztecs (14-8) finished the tournament with a 3-1 record, only falling to defending national champion and No. 1/1 UCLA, 5-0, when the Bruins scored all five of their runs with two outs in the top of the seventh inning.
SDSU took an early lead in the bottom of the second when Shelby Thompson tripled down the right field line and scored on a groundout by Alexa Schultz.
After stranding a pair of runners in scoring position with one out in the third, San Diego State added to its lead in the fourth as Maddi Ayers reached on an error by Matador (14-5) shortstop Aaliyah Swan and Summer Hargett followed with a home run over the left field wall, the first of her career.
CSUN, however, answered in the top of the fifth when it loaded the bases off Aztec starting pitcher Marissa Moreno on two singles, a wild pitch and an intentional walk. Maggie Balint replaced Moreno in the circle, but Jaymi Steward took a 1-0 pitch over the right field fence for the grand slam and 4-3 lead.
After each team stranded two runners apiece in the bottom of the fifth and top of the sixth, SDSU went to work in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four runs on three hits and three walks. Ayers got things going when she drilled a 2-0 pitch over the left field wall for her first career homer, tying the game up at 4-4. After Matador reliever Jillian James struck out the next two batters she faced, Taylor Adams and Kiera Wright both walked to keep the inning alive. Sara Lillie followed with a ground-rule double to right field, plating Adams with the go-ahead run. Sadie Langlet then hit a deep single off the center field wall to knock in Wright and Lillie with insurance runs.
Balint (6-4) worked around a one-out single in the seventh, striking out Swan swinging and getting Jessica LaPierre to line out to Schultz in left field to seal the win for San Diego State.
Lillie (2-for-3, RBI, R, 2B, BB), Hargett (2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, R, 2B) and Langlet (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2B) each had two hits apiece to lead the Aztecs. Thompson and Adams also had a hit, walk and run scored.
Balint picked up the win for SDSU after allowing one run on three hits and three walks over 2 2/3 innings of relief, while striking out three. Moreno, meanwhile, scattered three runs on six hits and a walk over 4 1/3 innings, posting one strikeout.
THE NOTE
San Diego State improved to 7-0 on the season when it has a least one home run (7-8 when not homering in a game).
THE NOTE II
Amazingly, the Aztecs faced their first left-hander all season in Kenedee Jamerson. SDSU hitters had gone 626 plate appearances, 547 at-bats and 139 2/3 innings without facing a single left-hander prior to today.
STAT OF THE DAY
SDSU won its 33rd consecutive game when leading after six innings (10-0 this season). San Diego State's last loss when leading after six innings was April 13, 2018 against Nevada (led, 8-7; lost, 10-8, in eight innings).
UP NEXT
The Aztecs play host to Villanova at 6 p.m. PT Wednesday.
San Diego State 7, CSUN 4
CSUN (14-5) 000 040 0 -- 4 9 2
San Diego State (14-8) 010 204 x -- 7 9 0
Jamerson, James (4) and LaPierre; Moreno, Balint (5) and Langlet, Umi (6), Langlet (7)
W - Balint, 6-4; L - James, 4-2
HR: CSUN, Steward (4); San Diego State, Ayers (1), Hargett (1)
Softball Downs CSUN, 7-4, in San Diego Classic Finale
