LOGAN, Utah -- The San Diego State softball team gave up a two-out, walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to fall to Utah State, 5-4, Friday afternoon in Logan, Utah. The Aggie (12-16, 4-4 MW) win snapped a season-long seven-game winning streak for the Aztecs (23-11, 7-4 MW).
SDSU led, 4-2, when Alexis Otero's sacrifice fly scored Cali Decker in the top of the fifth inning.
USU, however, tied it in the sixth on consecutive one-out singles by Gabriella Jimenez and Claudia Medina.
Utah State reliever Tess Bumiller retired San Diego State in order in the seventh, giving the Aggies one last chance in regulation.
San Diego State reliever Sarah Lehman struck out the first two batters she faced in the seventh before Taryn Edds took the first pitch she saw over the center-field wall for her first career home run to give USU the walk-off victory.
The Aztecs, who beat Utah State, 13-0, in six innings on Thursday, took a 2-0 lead in the first when Mac Barbara scored on an AJ Murphy single and Decker scored when Macey Keester reached on an error.
The Aggies tied it with a two-run homer by Jimenez in the second.
Decker put SDSU back on top in the third, scoring from second after Murphy reached on an infield single and the late throw sailed into foul territory.
Murphy had three of San Diego State's eight hits in the game, while Barbara reached base safely three times with a double and two walks.
Lehman (8-3) took the loss after allowing one run on three hits over 1 1/3 innings, while striking out two. Dani Martinez got the start and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk over three innings, striking out three. Dee Dee Hernandez also pitched, yielding two runs on two hits over 2 1/3 innings, striking out two.
THE NOTE
The Aztecs fell to 19-3 on the season when leading after five innings.
THE NOTE II
SDSU fell to 8-3 in one-run games this season.
STAT OF THE DAY
San Diego State scored 18 consecutive runs in the series until allowing two today in the bottom of the second inning. The Aztecs scored three runs in the seventh to beat Utah State, 4-3, on May 8, 2022, then run-ruled the Aggies, 13-0, yesterday and scored the first two runs today in the 5-4 loss.
UP NEXT
SDSU loops to clinch the series with USU with the final game moved up an hour to 11 a.m. MT (10 a.m. PT).
Utah State 5, San Diego State 4
San Diego State (23-11, 7-4 MW) 201 010 0 -- 4 7 1
Utah State (12-16, 4-4 MW) 020 002 1 -- 5 8 2
Martinez, Hernandez (4), Lehman (6) and Decker; Reynolds, Bumiller (5) and MacFarlane
W - Bumiller, 4-5; L - Lehman, 8-3
HR: Utah State, Jimenez (4), Edds (1)
SDSU Falls on Walk-Off Homer at Utah State, 5-4
