RIVERSIDE, CALIF. – After a day off on Saturday, the San Diego State softball team was back in action on Sunday. The Aztecs played at 3 p.m. against the Army Black Knights at John C. Funk Stadium on the campus of California Baptist University. Grace Uribe took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and the SDSU offense exploded for nine runs in a 9-1 run-rule victory in five innings.
Bella Espinoza led off the game with a bunt single for the Aztecs. She stole second base and came around to score when Uribe doubled over the shortstop. Next up was Cali Decker, who singled through the right side to drive in Uribe and give the Aztecs a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Uribe entered the circle and struck out the side in order.
In the third inning, Espinoza reached on an error by the shortstop. Jazmin Williams hit a grounder to second, but Emma Murchison was unable to make a play on the ball, allowing the runners to advance to second and third. Uribe followed it up with a groundout to second, scoring Espinoza and moving Williams to third. Williams would come around to score on a Decker double down the left field line. Macario singled and Decker slid around the catcher’s tag to score and extend the lead to 5-0. With two outs in the bottom of the frame, Army got their first base runner on a popup to shortstop that was misplayed. Uribe induced a groundout to third to end the inning.
In the ensuing inning, Olivia Gigante led off with a single and was run for by Julie Holcomb. She stole second before advancing to third on a groundout. Holcomb tried to tag up on an Espinoza flyout to left field but was gunned down. Uribe retired the side in order with another strikeout in the bottom of the fourth.
In the final frame, Williams led off with a single to shortstop for the Aztecs. She stole second and came around to score on a Quinn Waiki single. Mia Rodriguez ran for Waiki and advanced to second base when Decker singled. Macario laced a single back up the middle to score Rodriguez and pinch hitter Ally Dueker was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Shannon Cunningham walked to bring in Decker and pinch hitter Kiara Cisneros hit a groundout, scoring Macario to put the Aztecs up 9-0. In the bottom of the inning, Uribe got a groundout to first to move to two outs away from a no hitter. However, the next hitter, Sienna Tepley tripled past the left fielder to break it up. That ended Uribe’s day as Gigante moved into the circle for her first pitching appearance as an Aztec. After a groundout to short scored Tepley, Breanna Coonfare doubled to left. The next hitter hit a ball to second and the Aztecs caught Coonfare between third base and home plate to end the game 9-1.
THE NOTE
In the first inning, Uribe became the first Aztec to strike out the side since Sarah Lehman did so in the second inning of a 6-0 SDSU win over Grand Canyon in the 2023 Los Angeles Regional.
UP NEXT
SDSU heads to Florida next weekend for the Shriner’s Children’s Clearwater Invitational Presented by EvoShield. The Aztecs will open at 9 a.m. PT on Friday against Alabama on SEC Network. The rest of San Diego State’s games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and come against Wichita State at 2 p.m. PT on Friday, Missouri at 10:30 a.m. PT on Saturday, Virginia at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Charlotte at 10 a.m. PT on Sunday.
San Diego State 9, Army 1
San Diego State (3-2) 203 04 – 9 10 1
Army (2-4) 000 01 – 1 2 2
W – Uribe, 2-0; L – Izzo, 1-2
HR: None