SDSU Cruises Past San Jose State, 7-1

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Diego State cruised to a 5-0 lead and never looked back in a 7-1 victory at San Jose State Friday night at Spartan Softball Stadium. The Aztecs improved to 31-12 overall and 14-2 in Mountain West play with the win.
 
SDSU outhit the Spartans (20-24, 6-13 MW), 12-5, in the game, including a 3-for-3 outing by Taylor Adams.
 
San Diego State wasted no time, scoring the first run of the game in its first at-bat in the top of the first inning, loading the bases on a Mac Barbara walk, and back-to-back one-out singles by Adams and Danielle Romanello. AJ Murphy followed with a single through the left side to knock in Barbara with the go-ahead run. The Aztecs, however, stranded both runners when Alexa Schultz fouled out to third base and Makena Brocki struck out swinging.
 
SDSU broke open a 1-0 game with four runs in the third on four hits, a walk and a SJSU error. Taylor Adams led off with a double and later scored on a Schultz single. Brocki followed with a double to plate Romanello and Schultz before moving to third on a San Jose State fielding error. Macey Keester then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to knock in a streaking Brocki to make it a 5-0 San Diego State advantage.
 
The Spartans got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third as Ashley Rico's two-out singled scored Alyssa Graham when Graham was ruled safe because of obstruction at the plate.
 
The Aztecs responded in the fourth as Adams led off with a walk, stole second and scored on a Romanello double. Audrey Kull replaced Romanello at second and scored when Murphy stroked a single up the middle.
 
Those were the the final runs of the game as the 1-2 punch of Maggie Balint and Dee Dee Hernandez kept SJSU in check.
 
Balint (14-5) went the first five innings of the game, allowing one unearned run on four hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Hernandez relieved Balint in the sixth with a six-run lead and yielded one hit and one walk in two scoreless innings, striking out two.

Adams led the way for SDSU, going 3-for-3 with a double, two runs and a walk. Romanello was 2-for-2 for the second straight game with an RBI, run, double and two walks, while Barbara was 2-for-3 with a run, double and walk. Barbara extended her reached base safely streak to 37 games, the longest streak in the country this year (overall or active). Murphy added a pair of RBI singles for San Diego State.
 
THE NOTE
The Aztecs improved to 13-1 this season when scoring at least seven runs.
 
THE NOTE II
SDSU tied a season high with four doubles (also vs. UIC on Feb. 12).
 
STAT OF THE DAY
San Diego State won its 30th straight games when scoring first (25-0 this year).
 
UP NEXT
Game No. 2 of the series is set for 3 p.m. PT Saturday.
 
San Diego State 7, San Jose State 1
San Diego State (31-12, 14-2 MW)       104 200 0 -- 7 12 1
San Jose State (20-24, 6-13 MW)         001 000 0 -- 1 5 1
Balint, Hernandez (6) and Romanello; Ullegue, Bowman (4) and Almaguer;
W - Balint, 14-5; L - Ullegue, 15-7