SAN DIEGO – San Diego State allowed six runs in the top of the sixth inning of a one-run game in a 11-4 loss to Villanova Wednesday night at SDSU Softball Stadium.
The Wildcats (12-9), who are receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball polls, were up, 4-3, after five innings before scoring six times off the Aztecs (14-9) on just three hits, but four walks and a crucial error.
The two teams were playing for the third time this season with each squad splitting a game in the opening weekend at the River City Leadoff tournament in Jacksonville, Fla., on Feb. 7-8.
VU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second when Becky Ducar's two-out double scored a pair of runs.
SDSU responded in the bottom of the second as Summer Hargett laced a double down the left field line to score Shelby Thompson and Alexa Schultz.
Paige Rauch led off the third with a home run for Villanova and Megan Kern later homered to put the visiting team back up, 4-2.
San Diego State got one back in its half of the third as Sara Lillie tripled down the right field line to plate Makayla Jordan.
After each team went in order over the fourth and fifth innings, the Wildcats exploded for six runs in the sixth to put the game away.
Lillie homered in the bottom of the sixth, the first of her career, to scratch another run out for the Aztecs, but VU answered in the seventh when Ducar scored on a passed ball.
Kiera Wright had a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh before Rauch (10-2) got Sadie Langlet to ground out to second base for the final out of the game.
Lillie had two hits, two RBIs, run and a diving catch in the outfield to lead SDSU, while Hargett walked and had the two-run double.
Marissa Moreno took the loss for San Diego State after allowing four runs on four hits and two walks over 2 1/3 innings, while striking out one. Hannah Johnson (3.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) and Karina Faasisila (1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) pitched the final 4 2/3 innings of the game.
THE NOTE
The Aztecs dropped to 1-3 in mid-week games this season (SDSU is 13-6 in weekend tournament games).
THE NOTE II
San Diego State fell to 9-3 on the season when scoring at least four runs.
STAT OF THE DAY
Remarkably, the Aztecs had their first passed ball of the season tonight in the top of the seventh inning. Last season, SDSU had 15 passed balls, which ranked second in the Mountain West.
UP NEXT
San Diego State heads to the competitive Louisville Slugger Classic this weekend, co-hosted by Long Beach State and UCLA. On the docket for the Aztecs are Cal State Fullerton at 11:30 a.m. PT Friday in Long Beach, Calif., Cal Poly (9 a.m. PT) and Boston Univ. (11:30 a.m. PT) on Saturday in Los Angeles, and No. 22/22 UCF (9 a.m. PT) and Long Beach State (2 p.m. PT) Sunday in Long Beach.
Villanova 11, San Diego State 4
Villanova (12-9) 022 006 1 -- 11 9 2
San Diego State (14-9) 021 001 0 -- 4 4 4
Rauch and Dacosta; Moreno, Johnson (3), Faasisila (6) and Langlet
W - Rauch, 10-2; L - Moreno, 3-2
HR: Villanova, Rauch (11), Kern (1), Hayes (3); San Diego State, Lillie (1)
SDSU Softball Falls to Villanova, 11-4
