SAN DIEGO – Following a 6-2 win over Loyola Marymount at SDSU Softball Stadium on Friday, the San Diego State softball team was back in action on Saturday with home games against Sacramento State and No. 6/6 UCLA. After giving up two runs in the first against the Hornets, Cece Cellura and Grace Uribe kept them off the board the rest of the game as the Aztecs scored five runs across the second and third innings to win 5-2. In the nightcap, UCLA had a three-run homer in the third inning and scratched across two more runs in the sixth while holding the Aztecs off the scoreboard in a 5-0 final.
Cellura retired the first two Hornets (12-11) hitters of the game before Andrea Lira and Nikki Barboza hit consecutive doubles, scoring Lira for the first run of the game. Madison Evers-Lyles singled to first base, and Barboza came around to score on a throwing error. Cellura struck out Alexa Carino to end the frame. Bella Espinoza singled and stole second and Cali Decker walked but a double play and a strikeout ended the inning without any runs crossing the plate.
In the second inning, Cellura retired the side in order on just 11 pitches. In the bottom of the frame, Jade Ignacio, Jazmin Williams and Julie Holcomb all singled to load the bases for Quinn Waiki. She joined in with a single up the middle to score Ignacio and Williams. Holcomb and Waiki moved into scoring position on a wild pitch and Holcomb crossed the plate on a Kate Farren groundout to put the Aztecs (15-9) up 3-2.
Cellura had a repeat performance of a 1-2-3 inning in the third. The Aztecs loaded the bases with none out once again in the third inning. Uribe walked, Angie Yellen was hit by a pitch and Ignacio walked. Williams came through with a single to center, moving everyone up a base with Mia Rodriguez, running for Uribe, crossing the plate. Yellen scored from third on a Waiki sacrifice fly to right to make it a 5-2 game, a score that would hold.
Both teams went down in order in the fourth. Grace Uribe took the circle in the fifth. Cellura retired the final ten hitters she faced in order, allowing just the two runs (one earned) on three hits and no walks, all in the first inning. After a leadoff double by Shannon Garcia, Uribe settled down and got the next three batters out. Yellen walked and Holcomb singled in the bottom of the frame, but nothing came of it.
Uribe limited the Hornets to just a single in each of the sixth and seventh innings, earning a save for her three scoreless innings with just three baserunners allowed, all reaching on singles.
In the first inning against UCLA (22-4), Dee Dee Hernandez induced a double play to erase a one-out single.
Hernandez pitched another scoreless frame in the second, striking out Kaniyah Bragg. Jade Ignacio reached on an error by Jordan Woolery and advanced to second on a passed ball but was unable to make it any farther.
The Bruins struck first in the fourth. Kaitlyn Terry and Jessica Clements walked and came in to score on a Savannah Pola home run that barely cleared the wall in right field.
Hernandez retired the side in order in the fourth, capping the frame off with a strike out of Maggie Daniel. She pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the fifth, getting all three outs on ground balls. Williams reached on a walk in the bottom of the inning but was unable to get into scoring position.
UCLA added on in the sixth. Pola doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a Megan Grant double to center field. Rylee Slimp singled back up the middle to score Lauren Hatch, running for Grant, as the Bruins went up 5-0.
Ava Schaffel pitched the seventh inning and allowed a pair of singles but was able to prevent any runs from crossing the plate. The Aztecs were unable to scratch any runs across in the bottom half and fell 5-0.
THE NOTE
The attendance of 1,312 at Saturday’s games was an SDSU Softball Stadium single-game record.
THE NOTE II
Uribe’s save against Sacramento State was just the second of her career and first since April 20, 2021, against Houston when she played for Texas A&M.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs start Mountain West play next weekend. SDSU will head to Logan, Utah, to play the Utah State Aggies. The Friday-Sunday series has scheduled start times of 4 p.m. MT/3 p.m. PT (Friday) and 12 p.m. MT/11 a.m. PT (Saturday and Sunday).
San Diego State 5, Sacramento State 2
Sacramento State (12-10) 200 000 0 – 2 6 0
San Diego State (15-8) 032 000 X – 5 7 1
W – Cellura, 6-5; L – Evans, 4-3; S – Uribe, 1
HR: None
No. 6/6 UCLA 5, San Diego State 0
UCLA (22-4) 003 002 0 – 5 8 0
San Diego State (15-9) 000 001 0 – 0 0 0
W – Tinsley, 4-1; L – Hernandez, 4-3
HR: Pola, UCLA (3)