SAN DIEGO -- No. 24 San Diego State's late rally came up just short in a 5-3 loss to Minnesota Friday night at SDSU Softball Stadium.
The Aztecs (0-2) trailed the Golden Gophers (2-0), 5-0, through two innings, but scored once in the bottom of the fifth and two more in the sixth to get within two runs.
In the fifth, SDSU got a pair of runners into scoring position with one out before Macey Keester's second hit of the day knocked in Angie Yellen. Makena Brocki, however, was tagged out at second on the play and Bella Espinoza couldn't get on base and ended the threat.
In the sixth, Micaela Macario led off with a single and scored on a double by Mac Barbara. Elianna Reyes pinch ran for Barbara, got to third on a Cali Decker groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Alyssa Garcia.
UM reliever Sydney Schwartz, however, retired San Diego State in order in the seventh on just 10 pitches to notch her first save of the season.
Minnesota scored two runs in the first with two outs as a Maddy Ehlke groundout scored Kayla Chavez and Addison Leschber followed with a single up the middle to plate Oakland.
The Aztecs loaded the bases in the bottom of the first with one out, but Golden Gopher starting pitcher Bri Enter got Garcia to ground into a double play to get out of the jam.
UM scored three more times in the second off three hits and a SDSU error. Minnesota's runs came on a sacrifice fly by Chavez, an Oakland single and a double by Taylor Krapf.
A night after recording San Diego State's only hit in a 3-0 loss to No. 3/3 Stanford, Keester had two of the six Aztec hits on Friday.
Cassidy West took the loss after allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk over 1 2/3 innings, striking out one. Allie Light relieved West (0-1) in the second and tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and no walks, while striking out one. Dee Dee Hernandez struck out five in two innings of relief, yielding two hits.
THE NOTE
RHP Allie Light has pitched 8 1/3 scoreless innings this season with just five hits allowed (.172 average).
THE NOTE II
RHP Cassidy West earned her first start since April 1, 2023 and just her fifth since joining SDSU for the 2023 campaign.
STAT OF THE DAY
San Diego State has back-to-back home losses for the first time since losing a pair of home games on March 5, 2022. Under third-year head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz, the Aztecs are 45-14 (.763) at SDSU Softball Stadium.
UP NEXT
SDSU wraps up its play in its opening tournament on Saturday with games against No. 25/rv Kentucky (4:30 p.m. PT) and UC Santa Barbara (7 p.m. PT).
(--/rv) Minnesota 5, No. 24/rv San Diego State 3
Minnesota (2-0) 230 000 0 -- 5 10 0
San Diego State (0-2) 000 012 0 -- 3 6 2
Enter, Schwartz (7) and Krapf; West, Light (2), Hernandez (6) and Garcia
W - Enter, 1-0; L - West, 0-1; SV - Schwartz, 1
Other Friday Scores at the San Diego State Season Kickoff
No. 25/rv Kentucky 5, UC Santa Barbara 1
No. 25/rv Kentucky 2, No. 3/3 Stanford 1
Minnesota 8, UC Santa Barbara 5
Aztecs Edged by Minnesota, 5-3
