SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State plays host to Saint Mary's in its final series prior to Mountain West play, beginning with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday at SDSU Softball Stadium. The Aztecs (10-4) and Gaels (7-10) also play a single game at 11 a.m. PT Sunday.
SDSU is coming off a doubleheader split at Cal State Fullerton Tuesday night in Fullerton, falling, 7-2, in the first game before rallying for a 5-3 win in the nightcap thanks to a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning by Jillian Celis. San Diego State is 9-1 against unranked teams this season.
Taylor Adams continues to lead the Aztecs offensively with a .342 average (13-for-38) to go along with a home run, five RBIs, 10 runs, a double and three walks, owning a .390 on-base percentage. Celis is hitting .297 (11-for-37) with a home run, 10 RBIs and five runs, while Alexa Schultz is batting .278 (10-for-36) with team highs of four homers, 11 RBIs and a .694 slugging percentage, and adding eight runs, a double and a triple. Sadie Langlet (6-for-17) and Jessica Cordola (4-for-13) are also hitting .353 and .308, respectively, in limited plate appearances.
The SDSU pitching staff, meanwhile, has combined for a 3.27 ERA with five shutouts in its 10 wins. Maggie Balint (5-2, 2.82 ERA, 39.2 IP, 28 K, 14 BB, .248 opp. avg.), Hannah Johnson (3-1, 3.94 ERA, 26.2 IP, 14 K, 2 BB) and Karina Faasisila (2-1, 3.94 ERA, 16.0 IP, 11 K, 6 BB, .271 avg.) have done the bulk of the pitching for San Diego State, while Marissa Moreno has a 2.17 ERA in 9 2/3 innings of work.
SMC is coming of a split at Stanford on Thursday, including a 12-8 come-from-behind victory in the nightcap. Saint Mary's trailed the Cardinal, 5-0, after two innings and 7-2 after three, but scored an incredible 10 times in the top of the seventh to secure the comeback. Hannah Chew paces the Gaels with a .316 average, a home run, eight RBIs and five runs, while Sasa Koria and Angelina Franco are each hitting .289. Six pitchers have combined for a 4.88 ERA across 109 innings for SMC with Sofia Earle (2-5, 2 SV, 4.09 ERA, 49.2 IP) and Kayla Scott (2-3, 1 SV, 4.35 ERA, 27.1 IP) logging the most innings in the circle.
The Aztecs are 18-3 all-time against Saint Mary's, including wins in each of the last five meetings. The last time the two teams met was Feb. 16, 2014, when SDSU won, 3-2, at SDSU Softball Stadium.
Following the series with the Gaels, San Diego State kicks off Mountain West play at Nevada, playing a doubleheader next Saturday (March 20) (noon and 2:30 p.m. PT) and a single game on Sunday (11 a.m. PT).