SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State softball team (16-11, 1-1 Mountain West) got back in the win column on Saturday with a 2-1 victory against Colorado State (13-13, 1-1 MW) at SDSU Softball Stadium.
Ava Schaffel started in the circle for San Diego State and picked up a pair of strikeouts in a 1-2-3 first inning. Quinn Waiki singled for SDSU in the bottom half.
Colorado State’s Bradie Poteet-Herrera doubled in the second and Autumn Rutherford walked but Schaffel was able to escape the frame without a run crossing the plate when Angie Yellen tagged out Poteet-Herrera on a ground ball and threw to first base for a double play. Yellen singled in the bottom of the frame and Kaila Pollard was hit by a pitch.
Following a leadoff walk in the third, Yellen ran towards home plate and caught a popup on a bunt for the first out. Stacey Nuveman Deniz went to her bullpen, bringing in Key-annah Pu’a, who allowed a single, but nothing more in the inning. Jade Ignacio singled in the bottom of the inning.
The Rams struck first in the fourth inning. Allyson Moody homered to left field to get CSU on the board. Then, Pu’a struck out Rutherford. Following a Kaylynn English triple, Pu’a escaped the inning with a strikeout of Clarissa Castillo.
Pu’a retired the side in order in the fifth. The Aztecs battled back in the bottom of the inning. Jayleen Hernandez led off with an infield single. Kiara Cisneros bunted her into scoring position. Pinch runner Ally Dueker advanced to third base when Lala Macario also bunted for a single. Jade Ignacio followed her with an RBI double to center field, scoring Dueker while Macario reached third base. Following a pitching change, Waiki hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly to right field to bring in Macario.
After a leadoff single in the sixth, Pu’a retired the next three hitters to end the inning. In the bottom of the inning, Olivia Gigante singled and pinch runner Andrea Tall stole second base. On the 11th pitch of her at bat, it appeared Hernandez lined an RBI double into the left field corner but after replay review, the umpires ruled that Tall left early, ending the inning.
In the seventh inning, Pu’a finished the game with another three up, three down inning, adding another strikeout to her tally.
THE NOTE
Jade Ignacio extended her hitting streak to eight games, the best of her career.
UP NEXT
San Diego State wraps up its series with Colorado State and its homestand at noon on Sunday. The team will sign autographs following the game.
San Diego State 2, Colorado State 1
Colorado State (13-13, 1-1) 000 100 0 – 1 5 0
San Diego State (16-11, 1-1) 000 020 X – 2 7 0
W – Pu’a, 3-3; L – Bentley, 2-5
HR: Moody, CSU (1)