FULLERTON, Calif. – After falling in its first three games in this weekend’s Judi Garman Classic on the campus of Cal State Fullerton, the No. 23/23 San Diego State softball team had two opportunities to get back in the win column on Sunday. On the final day of the tournament, SDSU played No. 12/10 Arizona at 9:30 a.m. and Cal State Fullerton afterwards. The game against the Wildcats was high scoring early. Arizona scored in the first before SDSU went up 2-1 in the top of the second. The Wildcats exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the frame and did not look back, winning 11-3 in six innings. Against the Titans, the teams battled back and forth and the game featured four lead changes, but ultimately Cal State Fullerton won 7-4.
Arizona got on the board in the first inning. After Dee Dee Hernandez got two quick outs, Sydney Stewart was hit by a pitch. Devyn Netz followed her up with a double to left center field, scoring Stewart from first base. Hernandez was able to get a groundout to second base to end the inning without any more runs crossing the plate.
SDSU responded in the top of the second. The leadoff hitter, Shannon Cunningham, was hit by a pitch. With two outs, Grace Uribe stepped up to the plate and launched her second home run of the weekend over the fence to left field, putting the Aztecs on top 2-1. Quinn Waiki singled to keep the inning alive but was unable to move into scoring position. The Wildcats went back on top in the bottom half. Emily Schepp reached on an error to start the inning. Jenna Sniffen bunted for a single. Tayler Biehl followed them up with a single to right center field, scoring Schepp while Sniffen advanced to third. Biehl stole second before Hernandez induced a lineout for the first out of the inning. Kaiah Altmeyer put Arizona back in front with a two-run double to left center. Regan Shockey reached on an infield single before Stewart chased Hernandez from the game with a double down the left field line. Altmeyer scored while Shockey moved up to third base. Freshman Ava Schaffel entered the circle. After hitting Netz, Paige Dimler walked with the bases loaded and Schepp laced a two-run single to left to cap the scoring. Schaffel got a flyout for the second out of the frame. After a single loaded the bases once more, Schaffel induced a groundout to finally end the inning with Arizona leading 8-2.
Cali Decker was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch in the third inning but was stranded on second base. Schaffel worked around a double and a pair of walks to keep the Wildcats off the board in the third.
She kept things rolling with a scoreless fourth inning after Arizona got two runners in scoring position due to a walk and a two-base error.
With one out in the fifth, Jazmin Williams homered to right center field, her first long ball as an Aztec. Decker walked and Angie Yellen was hit by a pitch, but SDSU was unable to bring the runners in. Netz singled in the bottom of the frame, but Decker caught her stealing and Schaffel finished the frame with a strikeout.
Emily Schepp led off the sixth inning with a home run for Arizona, ending Schaffel’s 3.2 scoreless innings going back to the second inning. Schaffel responded by striking out Sniffen for the first out of the inning. However, a walk and a single put two runners on. On a ground ball, the Aztecs took the out at second base, leaving runners on the corners. Shockey reached on a throwing error, allowing Biehl to score from third base to make it 9-3. A walk loaded the bases for Netz. She singled to right center field, knocking in Altmeyer from third base to finish the game with an 11-3 score for a run-rule.
Decker continued to swing a hot bat, singling in the first inning in her first game in the leadoff spot. Uribe retired the side in order in the bottom of the frame, striking out Kristalyn Romulo to open the inning and Ava Arce to end it.
Bella Espinoza doubled in the second and advanced to third base on a groundout but was stranded 60 feet away. Nataly Lozano led off with a walk for the Titans, stole second, moved up to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly to give Cal State Fullerton a 1-0 lead.
With one out in the third inning, Cali Decker homered to left center field to tie the game at one. The next hitter, Angie Yellen, followed her up with a home run of her own, this one going to center field to put SDSU up 2-1. Uribe worked around a single to keep the Titans off the board in the third.
Cal State Fullerton went back on top in the fourth inning. Arce led off with a home run to right field to tie the game. Lozano walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved up to third base on a groundout. She came around to score when Sophia Guevara singled through the left side.
With one out in the fifth, Decker singled again, this time to center field. Yellen and Uribe also singled, loading the bases with one out. Sav Adams came through with a two-run single to center field to reclaim the lead for the Aztecs, 4-3. Olivia Gigante walked to reload the bases but SDSU could not score any more runs. In the bottom of the inning, Cal State Fullerton’s leadoff hitter, Briona Ferdman, reached on an error. The Aztecs got two quick outs before Arce reached on an infield single and a bad throw to first allowed Ferdman to score. Lozano singled through the right side to set up Alexia Lopez, who knocked a two-run double down the left field line to make it 6-4 Titans. Colby McClinton knocked in Lopez with a single to extend the Cal State Fullerton lead.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Maggie Paulovich led off with a single to shortstop. Ferdman blooped a single into shallow left field to put two on with no outs for the Titans. Both runners advanced on a weak groundout off the bat of Romulo. Sarah Coccillos grounded to Yellen, who looked the runners back before throwing to first for the second out. Cece Cellura struck out Arce to escape the jam.
Uribe knocked a one-out single up the middle in the seventh to give the Aztecs life. Jayleen Hernandez ran for her and moved to second when Adams was hit by a pitch. However, the Aztecs were unable to bring them in and fell by a 7-4 score.
THE NOTE
The 9:30 a.m. first pitch against Arizona was the earliest start time (local time) for an SDSU softball game since the Aztecs fell 7-6 to No. 16/19 Missouri in eight innings on February 26, 2022, in a game that also started at 9:30 a.m. That game was part of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California.
THE NOTE II
When Cali Decker and Angie Yellen hit back-to-back homers in the third inning, it marked the first time this season that SDSU players hit consecutive homers. The last Aztecs to accomplish the feat were Mac Barbara and Alyssa Garcia, who did so on May 4, 2024, at UNLV, as part of a ten-run fourth inning to clinch the Mountain West regular season title.
THE NOTE III
Five of San Diego State’s seven runs on Sunday scored via the home run. Entering the day, SDSU had scored 105 runs this season with only 16 coming on long balls.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs welcome three teams to SDSU Softball Stadium next weekend. SDSU plays a doubleheader on Friday against Loyola Marymount with games scheduled to start at 3:30 and 6 p.m. On Saturday, San Diego State is back in action with two more games. The first game is against Sacramento State, scheduled for a noon first pitch. Afterwards, the Hornets will play UCLA before the Aztecs wrap up the day against the Bruins, set to begin around 5 p.m.
No. 12/10 Arizona 11, No. 23/23 San Diego State 3
San Diego State (13-7) 020 010 – 3 3 3
Arizona (21-2) 170 003 – 11 13 0
W – Swain, 3-1; L – Hernandez, 4-2
HR: Uribe, SDSU (2); Williams, SDSU (1)
Cal State Fullerton 7, No. 23/23 San Diego State 4
San Diego State (13-8) 002 020 0 – 4 10 2
Cal State Fullerton (13-9) 010 240 X – 7 9 0
W – Garcia, 8-4; L – Cellura, 5-5
HR: Decker, SDSU (2); Yellen, SDSU (2); Arce, CSF (2)