SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Diego State rallied past San Jose State, 9-8, to complete a series sweep Sunday afternoon at Spartan Softball Stadium. The Aztecs (26-14) are 13-3 in Mountain West action, and play the current second-place team UNLV (9-4) and third-place team Nevada (11-5) in their final two series of the regular season (April 26-28 vs. Nevada and May 2-4 at UNLV).
SDSU twice rallied for deficits in the game, including the final inning where San Diego State was trailing, 8-7. Angie Yellen led off the top of the seventh with a single before quickly moving to third on consecutive sacrifice bunts by Macey Keester and Lala Macario. With two outs, Aztec slugger Mac Barbara was intentionally walked and was replaced by Elianna Reyes, who stole second. Cali Decker then drew a four-pitch walk but on the fourth pitch, Spartan (13-23, 3-10 MW) catcher Aneesa Almaguer dropped the ball, which allowed Yellen to score from third. Reyes followed Yellen to third and then scored on a subsequent throwing error by Almaguer.
Cece Cellura entered the circle for SDSU in the seventh and worked around a two-out single by Ashley Rico to record her fourth save of the season, giving San Diego State the series sweep.
Earlier in the game, the Aztecs came back from a 5-2 deficit through two innings with five runs in the fourth. Barbara first doubled in Keester. Katie Goldberg later had a sacrifice fly to score Lala Macario and Alyssa Garcia followed with a single to plate Ally Dueker. Yellen finished the scoring for SDSU with a two-run single.
San Jose State answered with three runs in the bottom of the fourth before San Diego State's late rally in the seventh.
The Aztecs took a 2-0 lead in the second when Keester singled in AJ Murphy and later scored on a Barbara single.
Barbara had three hits, two RBIs and a walk, while Makena Brocki also had three hits and a run for SDSU, which outhit the Spartans, 13-9. Garcia and Yellen added two hits apiece, while Decker reached base safely three times with two hits and a walk. Keester had a single, walk, two runs and an RBI.
Dee Dee Hernandez picked up the win after tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, giving up one hit and no walks, while striking out one. Hernandez is now 8-2 on the year. Cassidy West got the start and gave up four runs on three hits and a walk in one inning, striking out one. Allie Light yielded four runs on four hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings of relief, while Cellura gave up the one mentioned hit in the seventh inning.
THE NOTE I
San Diego State improved to 9-4 on the season in one-run games.
THE NOTE II
RHP Cece Cellura recorded her fourth save of the season, the second most by a freshman in program history, only trailing Bre DeSanta's six in 2002.
STAT OF THE DAY
The Aztecs won their 18th straight game when leading at any point and are now 25-2 on the season when leading.
UP NEXT
SDSU plays host to Nevada for a three-game series from April 26-28.
San Diego State 9, San Jose State 8
San Diego State (26-14, 13-3 MW) 020 500 2 -- 9 13 0
San Jose State (13-23, 3-10 MW) 050 300 0 -- 8 9 2
West, Light (2), Hernandez (4), Cellura (7) and Decker; Ham, Toner (4), Reynolds (4) and Hutchingson, Almaguer (6)
W - Hernandez, 8-2; L - Reynolds, 3-12; SV - Cellura, 4
SDSU Rallies Past SJSU, 9-8, for Series Sweep
