SALT LAKE CITY -- San Diego State's season came to an end with a 7-2 loss at No. 15 overall seed Utah in the NCAA Salt Lake City Regional final Sunday afternoon at Dumke Family Softball Stadium. The Aztecs (39-17) captured the Mountain West Tournament and NCAA Los Angeles Regional before falling a victory short in the NCAA Super Regional of making it to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
The only No. 3 seed from a NCAA Regional to make the NCAA Super Regionals, SDSU won the first game of the best-of-three series with the Utes (42-14) on Friday by a 4-3 score, but fell, 10-1, in five innings on Saturday and 7-2 today in front of a stadium record 3,093 fans.
Utah, the Pac-12 Tournament champion, will play No. 7 Washington on Thursday at a time to be determined.
After leaving two runners on base in the top of the first inning, San Diego State scored a run in the second. AJ Murphy led off with a double and later scored when Macey Keester's fly ball was dropped by Utah left fielder Haley Denning.
The Utes responded in the bottom of the second, scoring four runs with three being unearned to starting pitcher Allie Light. Sophie Jacquez led off with a single and later scored on a triple by Abby Dayton. With two outs, however, Light (15-7) misplayed a Shelbi Ortiz grounder, which allowed two runners to score. Ortiz then scored on a single by Aliya Belarde.
The Aztecs came back with a run in the fourth. Alexis Otero tripled to right field with two outs on the 10th pitch of the at-bat and Jade Ignacio followed with a pinch-hit single into right field to cut Utah's lead in half.
SDSU loaded the bases in the fifth on a Bella Espinoza single and, after two flyouts, back-to-back walks by Cali Decker and Makena Brocki. Ute pitcher Mariah Lopez, however, struck out Murphy swinging to get out of the jam.
The Utes answered in the bottom of the fifth as Ortiz scored on a San Diego State fielding error with Julia Jimenez at the plate. With the bases loaded, Dee Dee Hernandez replaced Light in the circle and got Karlie Davison to line out to Murphy for the double play at third base to get the Aztecs out of the inning.
Utah completed its scoring in the sixth on a two-out, pinch-hit bloop single by Halle Morris.
SDSU made one last effort in the seventh as both Jillian Celis and Brocki singled, but with two outs Murphy grounded into a fielder's choice and Celis was forced out at third.
Brocki singled and walked to pace San Diego State, which was outhit, 11-7, in the game.
Light took the loss after allowing five runs (one earned) on eight hits and no walks over 4 1/3 innings. The right-hander did not have a strikeout. Hernandez gave up two runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief, while striking out one.
THE NOTE
The Aztecs fell to 37-7 on the season when leading at any point in the game.
THE NOTE II
SDSU fell to 28-6 on the year when scoring first.
STAT OF THE DAY
San Diego State finished with a 39-17 record (.696), the third-best record in school history.
No. 15 Utah 7, San Diego State 2
San Diego State (39-17) 010 100 0 -- 2 7 2
Utah (42-14) 040 012 x -- 7 11 3
Lopez, Ladd (6) and Lundberg; Light, Hernandez (5) and Decker
W - Lopez, 23-6; L - Light, 15-7; SV - Ladd, 3
2023 NCAA Division I Softball Championship
Super Regionals - Best-of-Three Series
Dumke Family Softball Stadium - Salt Lake City, Utah
Friday, May 26, 2023
Game 1: San Diego State 4, No. 17/14 [15] Utah 3
Saturday, May 27, 2023
Game 2: No. 17/14 [15] Utah 10, San Diego State 1 (5 innings)
Sunday, May 28, 2023
Game 3: No. 17/14 [15] Utah 7, San Diego State 2 (Utah advances to NCAA Women's College World Series)
SDSU Ends Season with 7-2 loss at Utah in Super's
