CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – The San Diego State softball team (9-4) continued play in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Friday with games against UC Riverside (1-5) and Saint Mary’s (6-3). The Aztecs rolled to an 8-0 win in six innings against the Highlanders but fell to the Gaels in extra innings (eight) by a 9-5 score.
Key-annah Pu’a started in the circle for the Aztecs against UC Riverside. After allowing singles in the first and second inning, she retired the final ten batters she faced, allowing just the two hits across five scoreless innings.
The Aztecs rallied for five runs in the bottom of the third inning. Lala Macario led off with a walk. Julie Holcomb followed her with an infield single. Both runners moved into scoring position for Jazmin Williams. Williams singled through the left side to bring the runners home. The Aztecs quickly loaded the bases after Olivia Gigante and Quinn Waiki each singled on the first pitch of their at bats. Gabriella Terrones was hit by a pitch to score Williams from third. Angie Yellen knocked in Gigante with a single and Waiki crossed the plate when Macario reached on an error.
Williams singled in the fourth inning and stole second base but could get no further. SDSU also threatened in the fifth inning. Terrones was hit by another pitch and Yellen hit an infield single. Both runners moved into scoring position with two outs but could not score.
Faith Jordan entered the circle in the sixth inning and struck out the leadoff hitter, caught a line drive back to the circle and finished the inning with another strikeout. Jade Ignacio led off in the bottom of the inning and reached on an error. Williams doubled into the gap in right center field. Jayleen Hernandez followed with a grounder to third base and all runners were able to move up on a fielder’s choice. Hernandez stole second base and the throw was wild, allowing Williams to trot home and make it 7-0 while Hernandez advanced to third base. Quinn Waiki hit a sacrifice fly down the right field line to score Hernandez and end the game with an 8-0 score.
After two quick outs to start the second game of the day, Saint Mary’s took an early lead on a walk and a two-run home run.
The Gaels looked to add on with runners on second and third and two outs in the third inning, but Faith Jordan struck out Tori Cervantes to end the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Terrones led off with a walk and was run for by Mia Rodriguez. Macario singled up the middle to get Rodriguez to third. Macario stole second base and Rodriguez scored on a bad throw. Holcomb appeared to have an RBI double down the left field line, but after discussion, the umpires ruled the ball foul and sent Macario back to second base and Holcomb back to the batters’ box. The next hitter, Ignacio, singled to right to score Macario and tie the game.
Each team had an RBI single in the fourth inning. Alex Cutonilli had the hit for SMC and Kiara Cisneros knocked in Ally Dueker for the Aztecs.
Following a 1-2-3 top of the fifth, the Aztecs took their first lead of the night in the bottom half. Holcomb led off with a single. Ignacio followed her with an RBI double and was initially ruled safe at third on the throw, but the call was changed following discussion.
Saint Mary’s tied the game on Hannah Ferguson’s RBI double in the top of the sixth and Cisneros and Yellen were stranded on base in the bottom of the inning.
Braxton Brown started the seventh with a double for the Gaels and came around to score on consecutive fly balls to the outfield. Holcomb doubled to open the bottom of the inning and came home to tie the game on an Ignacio single. Andrea Tall ran for Ignacio and stole second before moving to third base as the winning run with two outs but could not go the final 60 feet.
After a leadoff walk in the eighth, the Gaels had two runners on with no outs due to the ghost runner. It appeared Mia Zabat popped out to Terrones in foul territory on a bunt attempt for the first out. After umpire deliberation at the behest of the Gaels’ third base coach, the ball was deemed to have hit the ground for a foul ball. Zabat made the most of the opportunity with an RBI single. A walk loaded the bases with no outs, but Pu’a struck out the next hitter and induced a shallow flyout to get within an out of escaping the jam. However, Brown lined a ball off Pu’a’s leg that rolled into the gap in right center field for a bases-clearing triple. Pu’a got the next hitter out, but the damage was done. The Aztecs trailed by four runs. Terrones was hit by a pitch for the third time of the day, but the SDSU bats were unable to make anything happen in the bottom of the inning, falling 9-5.
THE NOTE
In its last five games, San Diego State has played one game each of five innings, six innings, seven innings, eight innings and nine innings.
UP NEXT
SDSU wraps up its time in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Saturday with games against Seattle U at 9:30 a.m. and No. 2/2 Texas Tech at 2:30 p.m.
San Diego State 8, UC Riverside 0
UC Riverside (1-5) 000 000 – 0 2 3
San Diego State (9-3) 005 003 – 8 10 0
W – Pu’a, 2-1; L – Ortiz, 0-1
HR: None
Saint Mary’s 9, San Diego State 5
Saint Mary’s (6-3) 200 101 14 – 9 9 1
San Diego State (9-4) 002 110 10 – 5 9 0
W – Vasquez, 2-1; L – Pu’a, 2-2
HR: Brown, SMC (1)