BATON ROUGE, La. -- The San Diego State softball team dropped a pair of games on the first day of the Purple & Gold Challenge Friday at Tiger Park. The Aztecs (8-8), who are receiving votes in both national polls, first lost to McNeese, 5-4, on a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning before falling to host No. 4/5 LSU, 9-1, in six innings in the nightcap.
In the opener, SDSU led, 4-2, going into the final inning, but the Cowgirls (12-4) scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to rally past San Diego State. With one out, McNeese loaded the bases off San Diego State reliever Dee Dee Hernandez on a single, walk and hit batter. Crislyne Moreno followed with a single to center field to tie the game at 2-2. Cece Cellura, who started the game in the circle for the Aztecs, re-entered the game and got Corine Poncho to fly out to center field, but allowed a Cowgirl baserunner to get to third on a wild pitch. Alexix Dibbley ended the game with a single through the left side.
Katie Goldberg put SDSU into the lead with a two-run homer in the top of the second inning. It was her first home run at San Diego State.
McNeese answered in the bottom of the second with a two-run homer by Rylie Bouvier.
In the third, Kate Yellen doubled in Julie Holcomb for another Aztec run.
SDSU took a 4-2 lead in the fifth when Mac Barbara's sacrifice fly plated Lala Macario.
The score remained 4-2 until the Cowgirl heroics in the seventh.
Macario singled, walked, scored a run and stole a base to lead San Diego State, which matched McNeese with seven hits.
Hernandez (2-2) took the loss after allowing three runs on three hits and a walk over 2 1/3 innings of relief, striking out one. Cellura started and finished the game for the Aztecs, yielding two runs on four hits and no walks, striking out a career-high six batters over 4 1/3 innings.
In the nightcap, Barbara hit a solo homer in the top of the first, but the Tigers (15-0) scored the final nine runs of the came in a 9-1 run-rule victory.
SDSU had only two hits against LSU pitcher Sydney Berzon, including a two-out homer by Barbara in the first and a two-out single by Macey Keester in the sixth. Kate Farren also reached when she was hit by a Berzon (5-0) pitch to lead off the third, but Keester followed by lining into a double play.
Allie Light took the loss for San Diego State after allowing four runs on four hits and no walks over three innings, while striking out one. Cassidy West pitched the final 2 1/3 innings, surrendering five runs on eight hits and a walk, striking out three.
The Tigers scored four runs in the third, three in the fifth and two in the sixth.
THE NOTE
In the second game against No. 4/5 LSU, the Aztecs were run-ruled for just the third time under third-year head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz.
THE NOTE II
In the opener, SDSU had its 17-game winning streak snapped when leading after five innings.
STAT OF THE DAY
Also in the opener, San Diego State saw its' 56-game winning streak snapped when leading after six innings.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs looking to stop a three-game losing streak Saturday with games against Louisiana Tech (2:30 p.m. CT) and a rematch with No. 4/5 LSU (5 p.m. CT).
Game 1: McNeese 5, San Diego State 4
San Diego State 021 010 0 -- 4 7 1
McNeese (12-4) 020 000 3 -- 5 7 1
Cellura, Hernandez (5), Cellura (7) and Garcia; Sanders and Phillips
W - Sanders, 4-2; L - Hernandez, 2-2
HR: San Diego State, Goldberg (1); McNeese, Bouvier (3)
Game 2: No. 4/5 LSU 9, San Diego State 1 (6 innings)
San Diego State (8-8) 100 000 -- 1 2 0
LSU (15-0) 004 032 -- 9 12 0
Light, West (4) and Garcia; Berzon and Bergeron
W - Berzon, 5-0; L - Light, 4-3
HR: San Diego State, Barbara (4); LSU, Briggs (1), Bergeron (2)
SDSU Swept at Purple & Gold Challenge
