SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State softball team (11-5) opened up the Torero Classic on Thursday night against San Diego (7-9). The Aztecs hit three consecutive home runs in the first inning and tacked on two more runs in the seventh while the pitching shut out the Toreros for a 5-0 win.
The second batter of the game, Jade Ignacio, homered to left field to put the Aztecs on the board. Jazmin Williams followed her with a solo shot of her own, out to right center. The next hitter, Angie Yellen, joined in with a solo shot down the right field line. Toreros starter Kelsey Tadlock finally got the second out on a Gabriella Terrones flyout to the warning track in left field. San Diego went to the bullpen, bringing in Charlie Johnson. Quinn Waiki welcomed her with a single back up the middle before moving into scoring position when Olivia Gigante walked. Johnson was able to escape the inning on a groundout.
Matti Kwarta started in the circle for the Aztecs. She allowed a leadoff single, but a pair of groundouts and a lineout ended the frame. Kwarta started the second inning with a strikeout of Kaylee Oh and finished off a 1-2-3 inning with two groundouts. The freshman worked around a one-out single to keep the Toreros off the board through three.
Olivia Gigante led off the fourth inning with a single and pinch runner Mia Rodriguez moved up to third base on a single by Kiara Cisneros two batters later. Johnson was able to get out of the inning with two straight grounders. In the bottom half, Taylor Johnson led off with a walk for USD before Kwarta erased her by inducing a 4-6-3 double play. Another quick groundout ended the inning.
Gabriella Terrones walked in the fifth inning but was stranded on first base. In the bottom of the inning, Mallory Axline singled and Hailey Mulligan doubled to put runners on second and third base with no outs. Kwarta got Shawnese Hogue-Lacy to ground back to the circle and held the runners. Yellen made a nice barehanded play on a squeeze bunt for the second out at first while preventing the runners from scoring. Gigante fielded a groundout at first base to end the inning without a run crossing the plate. Kwarta finished her night with five scoreless innings with a strikeout and just four hits allowed.
Faith Jordan entered the circle in the sixth inning. She struck out the first hitter she faced, Michelle Delgado. Jordan finished the inning with another strikeout, this one of Kaylee Oh.
Emma French pinch hit for Julie Holcomb to begin the seventh. She singled up the middle and Holcomb reentered at first base. An error allowed Ignacio to reach. Holcomb and Ignacio executed a double steal. Holcomb crossed the plate on a Williams sacrifice fly and Yellen singled in Ignacio to make it 5-0. Waiki doubled with two outs and moved Yellen to third base, but neither were able to score. Jordan walked the leadoff hitter in the latter half but followed it with a strikeout, a foul popout and a groundout to finish off the 5-0 win.
THE NOTE
San Diego State had three consecutive batters homer for the first time in the last decade. It was just the third time during that time span that the Scarlet and Black hit three home runs in an inning, with all three occurrences coming in the first inning. Mac Barbara, Cali Decker and AJ Murphy each homered in a 9-1 win at Boise State on May 9, 2024, during the Quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament. The previous time was in a 10-4 win over Miami (Ohio) on March 4, 2017. The players to homer in that inning were Jenavee Peres, Katie Byrd and Jaylene Ignacio, Jade’s sister.
UP NEXT
SDSU continues playing at Reggie Smith Softball Complex with a pair of games on each Friday and Saturday. San Diego State plays twice on Friday morning, batting CSUN at 9 a.m. and --/No. 24 Washington at 11:30. SDSU will face the Huskies at the same time on Saturday ahead of a contest against Kansas City at 2 p.m. that afternoon.
San Diego State 5, San Diego 0
San Diego State (11-5) 300 000 2 – 5 9 1
San Diego (7-9) 000 000 0 – 0 5 2
W – Kwarta, 5-1; L – Tadlock, 2-3; S – Jordan (1)
HR: Ignacio, SDSU (3); Williams, SDSU (3); Yellen, SDSU (1)