FORT COLLINS, Colo. – After dropping Saturday’s series opener to Colorado State, the San Diego State softball team was primed to bounce back on Sunday. SDSU crossed the plate three times in the first inning highlighted by Shannon Cunningham’s two-RBI triple. Cunningham homered in the third inning for one of two more Aztecs runs while the team scored five times in the fourth, with three runs scoring on a homer by Grace Uribe. Uribe limited the Rams offense to a two-run homer in the third inning as the Aztecs won 10-2 in five innings.
Julie Holcomb singled in the first for San Diego State (24-14, 8-5 Mountain West) but was caught stealing. With the bases empty and two outs, Jade Ignacio doubled to center before Cali Decker was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Cunningham lined a ball down the right field line and into the corner for a triple and both Ignacio and Decker scored. The next hitter, Jazmin Williams, singled to right to score Cunningham and put the Aztecs up 3-0. The Rams (14-23, 4-9 MW) went down in order in the bottom of the inning against Uribe.
In the second, Quinn Waiki was hit by a pitch and Bella Espinoza singled, but nothing came of it. Uribe pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the second with a strikeout of Jailey Wilson.
Cunningham continued her big day with a solo homer to right center in the third inning. Williams singled again and Waiki did the same to put two runners on for Kate Farren. She reached on an infield single to shortstop while Williams came home to score from second base. Carolina Buffaloe walked to begin the bottom of the inning and the second hitter, Jordan West, homered down the left field line to cut the lead to three runs. Uribe got three of the next four hitters to ground out to end the frame.
SDSU kept its foot on the gas in the fourth. Holcomb led off with a single to center and moved up to third when Ignacio doubled to right center. Decker followed her with a single back up the middle to score both runners and make it 7-2. Cunningham walked to set up Uribe with a pair of runners in scoring position. She launched a ball deep to right and well over the fence for a three-run homer to extend the lead to eight runs. In the bottom of the inning, Uribe induced a 6-4-3 double play to erase a leadoff single before striking out Autumn Rutherford to end the inning.
The Aztecs were three outs away from a victory if they could keep the Rams off the board in the fifth. Uribe got two quick outs on a pop up to short and a ground ball to second. Abby Edwards doubled down the left field game to keep the game alive, but after a replay review, Decker caught pinch runner Morgan Coleman stealing third to end the game.
THE NOTE
Shannon Cunningham became the first Aztec to triple and homer in the same game since Sara Lillie on March 4, 2020, against Villanova. Shelby Thompson also accomplished the feat in that shortened season, doing so in a 10-6 win against Nicholls State on February 7.
UP NEXT
SDSU hosts UNLV for a three-game series at SDSU Softball Stadium next weekend. The teams are set to play at 6 p.m. PT on Friday, 4 p.m. PT on Saturday and noon PT on Sunday. Friday and Sunday’s games will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.
San Diego State 10, Colorado State 2
San Diego State (24-14, 8-5) 302 50 – 10 13 0
Colorado State (14-23, 4-9) 002 00 – 2 4 0
W – Uribe, 6-0; L – Bentley, 5-10
HR: Cunningham, SDSU (5); West, CSU (2); Uribe, SDSU (5)