SAN DIEGO – San Diego State softball opened its 2025 season on Thursday with a pair of home games at SDSU Softball Stadium. The Aztecs kicked off the season at 1 p.m. against the CSUN Matadors. After CSUN scored first with a run in the top of the fourth, SDSU responded with eight straight runs for an 8-1 victory. In the nightcap, San Diego State faced the defending champions, No. 2/3 Oklahoma. The Aztecs got on the board first with a three-run homer in the second. Oklahoma went up 5-3 in the fifth, but SDSU tied things back up in the bottom of the inning. The game went to extras and each team scored their runner from second in the eighth before the Sooners scored five times in the ninth inning for an 11-6 final.
In the first inning of SDSU’s season, Bella Espinoza led off with a single, stole second and moved to third on a groundout but was unable to score.
In the third, Grace Uribe pitched around a pair of walks to keep the Matadors off the board. In the bottom of the inning, Espinoza singled and stole second yet again.
An inning later, CSUN rallied with two outs, as Kylie Galindo singled to left and was run for by Isabella Bastien. Sydney Freijanes followed it up with a single before an Alexa Landeros hit down the right field line scored Bastien and put runners on the corners. Cali Decker caught Landeros stealing to end the inning. Decked began the bottom of the inning with a single and was run for by Ally Dueker, who advanced to second on a groundout. Grace Uribe singled to left and moved to second on the throw. Both runners scored on a Jazmin Williams double down the left field line. Angie Yellen drove in Williams with a single up the middle to make it 3-1. Quinn Waiki singled and Julie Holcomb moved the runners over, but Yellen was thrown out at home on a ball off the bat of Espinoza. A flyout ended the inning.
The Aztecs added on the next inning. Jade Ignacio walked, and Uribe singled to set up an RBI single from Williams, who stole second, putting runners on second and third for Yellen. The Aztec third baseman homered to right center field to blow the game open at 7-1.
After Uribe allowed just one run on four hits over five innings with three strikeouts, freshman Ava Schaffel took over for the sixth inning. She would pitch the rest of the way, allowing just one hit and no runs. Lala Macario would single and steal second before scoring the final run of the game on an Ignacio single in the sixth. Schaffel retired the side in the seventh to end the ballgame.
In SDSU’s second game of the day, Dee Dee Hernandez got the start. She worked around an error and a single for a scoreless first inning. A Decker double was the only offense in the bottom half.
San Diego State got on the board first in the bottom of the second. With one away, Macario bunted for a single and stole second before a Waiki walk put two runners on with Kate Farren due up. Stacey Nuveman Deniz went to her bench and sent Shannon Cunningham to the plate, who belted a three-run homer to center field to score the first runs of the game.
After Hernandez allowed a walk and a single in the third, Mountain West Preseason Pitcher of the Year Cece Cellura took over. She coughed up an RBI single to Ella Parker before getting an inning-ending popup. Williams doubled in the bottom of the inning for SDSU.
In the fourth, Cellura induced an inning-ending double play from Gabbie Garcia. In the bottom half, Macario bunted for a single, advanced to second and stole third but was stranded.
The Oklahoma offense woke up in the fifth inning. Abigale Dayton was hit by a pitch and scored on a Parker double. Cydney Sanders walked and Uribe replaced Cellura in the circle. The first batter she faced was Kasidi Pickering, who homered to center to give the Sooners a 5-3 advantage. In the Aztec half, Cali Decker was hit by a pitch and run for by Mia Rodriguez, who doubled to right. It set up a two-run single through the left side by Uribe to tie the game at five.
In the sixth inning, Waiki led off with a single and advanced to third on a pinch-hit single by Kiara Cisneros, who stole second. The Aztecs had runners on second and third with no outs but three straight strikeouts swinging ended the frame without a run crossing the plate.
The Sooners loaded the bases on three walks in the seventh, but Dee Dee Hernandez reentered the game and induced a groundout to end the inning.
Isabela Emerling started on second in the eighth for the Sooners and advanced on a bunt by Ailana Agbayani before scoring on a Hannah Coor bunt single. Hernandez struck out Dayton and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas to end the frame and prevent runners on second and third from scoring. Uribe ran for SDSU and scored on a pair of groundouts to send the game to the ninth.
McEnroe-Marinas began the ninth inning on second. Following a pair of walks, Oklahoma loaded the bases with just one out. Emerling unloaded, hitting a grand slam to left field to give the Sooners a 10-6 lead. The next hitter, Agbayani, singled to center but was able to score on a three-base error. The Aztecs only put the ball in play once in the bottom of the inning and came up short, 11-6.
THE NOTE
Rodriguez, Cisneros, Schaffel, Waiki and Jayleen Hernandez each made their collegiate debuts while Williams, Cunningham, Uribe, Sav Adams and Olivia Gigante played as Aztecs for the first time.
UP NEXT
SDSU heads to Fullerton for two more games on Friday. San Diego State will play Southern University at 1 p.m. and then Cal State Fullerton around 3:30.
San Diego State 8, CSUN 1
CSUN (0-1) 000 100 0 – 1 5 1
San Diego State (1-0) 000 341 X – 8 12 0
W – Uribe, 1-0; L – Carranco, 0-1
HR: Yellen, San Diego State (1)
No. 2/3 Oklahoma 11, San Diego State 6
Oklahoma (2-0) 001 040 015 – 11 9 0
San Diego State (1-1) 030 020 010 – 6 9 2
W – Lowry, 1-0; L – Hernandez, 0-1
HR: Cunningham, San Diego State (1); Pickering, Oklahoma (1), Emerling, Oklahoma (1)