SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State softball team (7-2) had two more games at SDSU Softball Stadium on Saturday as part of the Campbell/Cartier Classic. SDSU won both games on walk-offs in extra innings. Jade Ignacio hit a walk-off RBI single in the eighth inning for a 2-1 win over Fordham (2-7) in the afternoon and Olivia Gigante hit a walk-off three-run home run in the ninth inning for an 8-5 win over Oregon State (4-5).
Freshman Matti Kwarta started against Fordham and limited the Rams to one run on four hits in five innings. The southpaw racked up a career-high seven strikeouts in the contest. Faith Jordan followed her with three scoreless innings and earned the win.
Kwarta opened the game with a scoreless first inning, striking out one. Julie Holcomb singled in the bottom of the inning and stole second base but could move no further.
In the second, Kwarta added two more strikeouts.
The Rams scored in the third inning. Neleh Nogay led off with a walk, stole second, moved to third base on a groundout and scored on an RBI single by Nicki Sudall. Kwarta stranded two runners on with an inning-ending strikeout before Fordham could do more damage. In the bottom half, Angie Yellen led off with a double and Lala Macario moved her to third base on a sacrifice bunt for the first out of the inning but Yellen could not move the final 60 feet.
Kwarta struck out two in a 1-2-3 fourth inning. She finished her outing in the fifth inning, adding a strikeout to her tally and allowing just one batter to reach base, on a walk.
In the sixth inning, Jordan allowed a leadoff infield single but stranded the runner on third base with an inning-ending strikeout. SDSU evened the score in its half of the inning when Jazmin Williams singled, moved up on a grounder and scored on a single to center field by Ignacio.
Jordan added another strikeout in the seventh and helped get the game to extra innings. In the eighth, the ghost runner started on second base and things looked dire for the Aztecs after the first two hitters walked and singled. However, the runner on first base overran second base on the single and was thrown out trying to get back to the bag. The next batter hit a grounder back to the circle and Jordan was able to catch the runner on third base in a rundown for the second out. Following an infield single to load the bases, Jordan induced a flyout to Holcomb in center field to end the inning without a run.
Macario ran at second base for SDSU and scored on Ignacio’s single up the middle to win the game.
Following an Oregon State run-rule win over North Dakota, the Aztecs and Beavers matched up in the last game of the night.
Key-annah Pu’a started in the circle for San Diego State and retired the side in order in the first inning. In the bottom of the inning, SDSU benefitted from poor defensive play by Oregon State. Ignacio reached on an error and scored on another error to get the Aztecs on the board first.
Pu’a struck out two hitters in the second. Yellen singled with two outs in the bottom of the inning and came around to score due to two more errors by Oregon State.
In the circle, Pu’a pitched another 1-2-3 frame in the third. In the fourth inning, however, Oregon State loaded the bases on an error, a walk and a single before Mya Harrison cleared them with a go-ahead triple to put Oregon State ahead 3-2.
In the fifth, Pu’a started the inning with a strikeout and was replaced in the circle by Faith Jordan, who finished the inning with a strikeout of her own.
Oregon State added to its lead with a solo home run by Madison Weir in the sixth inning. Jordan struck out the next hitter and gave way to Kwarta, who finished the inning.
Kwarta pitched a three up, three down inning with two strikeouts in the seventh to provide the Aztec bats an opportunity to tie the game down a pair of runs. San Diego State rallied with one out. Holcomb walked. Ignacio singled. Williams followed her with a single down the left field line to score Holcomb while Ignacio moved to third base and Williams advanced to second on the throw. Gigante singled back up the middle to score Ignacio and tie the game at four. Gabriella Terrones walked to load the bases, but the Beavers escaped the jam to force an eighth inning.
Ghost runner Morgan Howey scored on a leadoff single by Jaeya Butler, with an error on the play. Butler moved to third base with one out on a ground ball. Kwarta fielded her position on a roller for the second out and induced an inning-ending groundout. In the bottom half, Yellen bunted ghost runner Ally Dueker to third base and Dueker trotted home on an RBI groundout by Macario.
In the ninth inning, Oregon State got the ghost runner to third base on a groundout, but Kwarta kept her there, catching a comebacker and striking out Nikki Donahue to end the inning. Holcomb started at second base with Ignacio leading off. The designated player singled back up the middle, but Holcomb was thrown out at home plate from center field to keep the game going. Ignacio moved up to second base on the throw. She advanced to third base on a Jazmin Williams single before Gigante launched a three-run walk-off home run off the videoboard in deep right-center field to win the game 8-5.
THE NOTE
San Diego State’s three extra-inning wins this weekend match the most by the Aztecs in an entire season since the 2023 team that made NCAA Super Regionals went 3-0 in extra-inning games.
UP NEXT
SDSU finishes up the Campbell/Cartier Classic with a rematch against Oregon State at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
San Diego State 2, Fordham 1
Fordham (2-7) 001 000 00 – 1 7 1
San Diego State (6-2) 000 001 01 – 2 6 1
W – Jordan, 2-0; L – Gaisior, 0-3
HR: None
San Diego State 8, Oregon State 5
Oregon State (4-5) 000 301 010 – 5 6 4
San Diego State (7-2) 110 000 213 – 8 11 2
W – Kwarta, 4-1; L – Streuber, 2-4
HR: Weir, OSU (1); Gigante, SDSU (3)