SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State softball team (15-11, 0-1 Mountain West) opened its final season of Mountain West competition on Friday night at home against Colorado State (13-12, 1-0 MW) but came up short by a 2-0 score.
Colorado State’s Lauren Stucky opened the game with a walk, but SDSU starter Faith Jordan retired the next three hitters to end the inning. Lala Macario singled to lead off the bottom of the inning before being removed from the basepaths on a lineout to first base that resulted in a double play.
The Rams scored both their runs in the second inning. Madi Eslinger led off with an infield single. Autumn Rutherford followed her by lining a single off Jordan. Kaylynn English bunted the runners over. Eslinger scored on a groundout back to the circle for the second out. Jac Smith drove in Rutherford by lining the ball off the glove of a leaping Angie Yellen at third base. Jordan got Stucky to fly out to end the inning. Yellen walked and advanced on a wild pitch with one out in the bottom of the inning but was stranded there.
Jordan struck out a pair of Rams in a scoreless third inning. Kiara Cisneros singled for the Aztecs in the bottom half but became the second Aztec of the night to be doubled off on a line drive to the first baseman.
In the fourth inning, Jordan added another strikeout in a 1-2-3 frame. Jade Ignacio singled for the Aztecs, but pinch runner Mia Rodriguez left early while attempting to steal second base.
CSU had a walk and a single in the fifth. However, Ignacio caught Lindsey Hinson attempting to steal third base to end the inning without a run crossing the plate. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Quinn Waiki singled and Kaila Pollard followed her with a double to put two runners in scoring position for the Aztecs. Colorado State’s Reagan Wick got a strikeout and a foul out to end the inning.
Key-annah Pu’a entered the circle in the sixth inning and struck out the first two batters she faced in a scoreless inning. Ignacio added her second single of the game but could not get into scoring position.
In the seventh inning, Pu’a had another two-strikeout inning, this time not allowing any baserunners. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Waiki singled and moved up to second base on an error by Rutherford, the center fielder. She advanced to third base on a grounder before pinch hitter Gabriella Terrones walked to bring the winning run to the plate. Wick induced a ground ball to shortstop to end the game.
THE NOTE
Faith Jordan and Key-annah Pu’a combined for seven strikeouts, matching the sum of their previous season-highs.
UP NEXT
San Diego State continues the Colorado State series at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on Mountain West Network.
Colorado State 2, San Diego State 0
Colorado State (13-12, 1-0) 020 000 0 – 2 5 1
San Diego State (15-11, 0-1) 000 000 0 – 0 7 0
W – Wick, 9-5; L – Jordan, 7-3
HR: None