SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State softball team opened its 2021 campaign with a pair of shutouts in a doubleheader sweep over San Diego Wednesday night at USD Softball Complex. The two wins gives the Aztecs (2-0) a 56-6 all-time record against the Toreros (0-2).
In the opener, Hannah Johnson and Karina Faasisila combined for a five-hit shutout in an 8-0 SDSU victory.
Johnson (1-0) earned the start and went five innings, allowing five hits, while striking out four. Faasisila pitched a perfect two innings of relief with three strikeouts.
San Diego State scored four runs in the top of the first on a pair of USD errors and never looked back.
Sara Lillie had three hits, two runs and an RBI to pace the SDSU offense, while Jillian Celis had two hits and two RBIs. Danielle Romanello had a pair of walks and scored a run in her San Diego State debut, and Shelby Thompson added a sacrifice fly and was hit by a pitch.
The nightcap featured a pitchers' duel between the Aztecs' Maggie Balint and San Diego's Madison Earnshaw, which ended in Balint's (1-0) in a 1-0 victory.
Balint went the distance, allowing three hits and two walks, striking out six. Earnshaw (0-1), meanwhile, was the tough luck loser after yielding one unearned run on five hits and two walks, striking out three.
The lone run of the game came in the top of the first inning when Jenna Holcomb reached on a throwing error and later scored on a single by Thompson.
The Toreros had their chances, getting into scoring position in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but Balint kept getting out of jams. In all, USD was 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position against Balint.
Nicole Siess reached twice via walk for SDSU, while five others had hits, including a double by Romanello to lead off the sixth.
THE NOTE
San Diego State is now 56-6 all-time against San Diego, snapping USD's modest two-game winning streak, its longest in the series.
THE NOTE II
The Aztecs improved to 22-3 in season-opening games under head coach Kathy Van Wyk. Since records were first kept in 1980, SDSU is 31-11 in season openers.
STAT OF THE DAY
San Diego State recorded consecutive shutouts on a season-opening day for the first time since 2008 (beat Cal Poly, 3-0, and California, 7-0). The Aztecs went onto finish with a 44-17 record (.721) that season, their best record in program history.
UP NEXT
SDSU plays host to UC Davis this weekend with a doubleheader Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. PT, and a single game at 11 a.m. PT Sunday.
Game 1: San Diego State 8, San Diego 0
San Diego State 400 210 1 -- 8 9 1
San Diego 000 000 0 -- 0 5 3
Johnson, Faasisila (6) and Romanello, Langlet (5); Entrup, Clary (4), Rose (5) and Princic
W - Johnson, 1-0; L - Entrup, 0-1
Game 2: San Diego State 1, San Diego State 0
San Diego State (2-0) 100 000 0 -- 1 5 1
San Diego (0-2) 000 000 0 -- 0 3 2
Balint and Romanello; Earnshaw and Kaiser
W - Balint, 1-0; L - Earnshaw, 0-1
SDSU Softball Sweeps Doubleheader at USD
