FULLERTON, CALIF. – Following Thursday’s season-opening action at home, the San Diego State softball team was back in action on Friday, this time in Fullerton, California. SDSU began the day with a dominant 9-0 run-rule victory over the Southern University Jaguars in six innings. The second game was against Cal State Fullerton and was low scoring with each team only having one run until the Titans exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Aztecs scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, but the comeback came up short and the game ended in a 7-3 defeat.
In the opening game, the Aztec offense got going early. In the first, Cali Decker walked, Jazmin Williams singled, and Grace Uribe walked to load the bases. Lala Macario also worked a walk to put the Aztecs up 1-0. Ava Schaffel retired the side in order with one strikeout in the bottom of the inning.
In the second inning, Decker drove in Jade Ignacio and Bella Espinoza with a double to the gap in left-center field. Decker came around to score on a single by Angie Yellen to extend the lead to 4-0. Schaffel worked around a two-out double to keep the Jaguars off the board.
SDSU added on in the fourth. Shannon Cunningham led off with a single before stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch. She scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jayleen Hernandez. Olivia Gigante and Sav Adams followed it up with singles and both spots ended up scoring when the Jaguars committed three errors in two plays. Southern’s catcher threw the ball over third base, allowing Mia Rodriguez (running for Gigante) to run home and Adams to move to third as the left fielder misplayed the ball. Quinn Waiki grounded to shortstop, but the ball went through her legs as Adams ran home from third. Schaffel allowed a leadoff double but retired the next three hitters to escape the inning unscathed.
In the sixth, Yellen led off with a single. After moving to second on a groundout, Waiki launched a two-run homer to left field, where it caromed off the bleachers. It was the first home run of Waiki’s career in just her third game. Schaffel retired the side in order, striking out Rhion Williams to end the game. Schaffel allowed just five baserunners in six shutout innings with a trio of strikeouts.
The second contest of the day began as a pitchers’ duel. A bunt single by Macario accounted for the only hit until the bottom of the third inning, when the Titans finally got to Cece Cellura. Sophia Guevara led off with a single, but Decker caught her pinch runner, Maggie Paulovich, stealing. After issuing a walk, Cellura froze Kate Verhoef for the second out. Cal State Fullerton laced a pair of singles, with Sarah Perez knocking in KK Christie to take a 1-0 lead.
The Aztecs responded with a two-out rally of their own in the top of the fourth. Uribe doubled and stole third as Yellen walked. Macario followed it up with an infield single to score Uribe. The Titans went three up, three down in the bottom of the inning and Cellura picked up her third strikeout.
Cal State Fullerton reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Guevara reached on an error and Christie reached on a fielder’s choice before Stacey Nuveman Deniz went to her bullpen to bring in Dee Dee Hernandez. She walked her first two hitters before the ensuing two hitters singled. Perez’s single scored Christie and Colby McClinton drove in Verhoef. The bases remained loaded as Cellura reentered the ballgame. The first hitter she faced was Ava Arce, who lined a bases-clearing double into the left-center gap to extend the Titan lead to 6-1. Abigail Salazar ran for Arce and advanced to third on a single before scoring on a Lulu Sanchez groundout. Cellura struck out Guevara to bring the frame to an end.
An inning later, Uribe and Yellen walked but their teammates were unable to drive them in. Uribe entered the circle in the bottom of the sixth and got two quick outs. After allowing a pair of singles, she struck out McClinton looking to end the inning.
In the final frame, Waiki led off with a walk and Ignacio reached on an error. Espinoza bunted the runners over and appeared to be safe at first when the first baseman dropped the throw, but the first base umpire decided the ball was dropped on the exchange. Decker hit a sac fly to center to score Waiki and make it a 7-2 game. Williams followed it up with an RBI single up the middle to score Ignacio to cut the deficit to 7-3. Uribe flew out to left field to end the game.
THE NOTE
In her first career start, Schaffel became the first Aztec freshman to throw a complete game shutout since Danielle O’Toole did so three times in 2013.
UP NEXT
SDSU rounds out the weekend with a game against the Army Black Knights at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be played on the campus of California Baptist in Riverside, California.
San Diego State 9, Southern 0
Southern (0-2) 000 100 0 – 1 5 1
San Diego State (2-1) 000 341 X – 8 12 0
W – Schaffel, 1-0; L – Zabala, 0-1
HR: Waiki, San Diego State (1)
Cal State Fullerton 7, San Diego State 3
San Diego State (2-2) 000 100 2 – 3 4 1
Cal State Fullerton (1-0) 001 060 X – 7 9 3
W – Garcia, 1-0; L – Cellura, 0-1
HR: None