LAS VEGAS – The San Diego State softball team (18-13, 3-3 Mountain West) rallied for eight runs with two outs in the seventh inning against UNLV (16-16, 3-3 MW) to earn a 13-7 win.
For the second straight day, Quinn Waiki singled in the top of the first inning for San Diego State. In the bottom of the inning, Bri Williams was hit by a pitch and Natalie Williams singled. Both runners advanced on a groundout before Hailey Gilbertson, running for Williams, and Williams scored on a single by Charelle Aki. Faith Jordan battled back, striking out the next two hitters to end the inning.
Jordan continued her momentum into the second inning, finishing off a three up, three down inning with another strikeout.
The Rebels added on in the third. Williams led off with a single and came around to score on a bunt, a passed ball and an RBI single by Keyannah Chavez.
Waiki doubled in the fourth inning but was stranded on third base. UNLV extended its lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the inning when Diamond Sefe and Taryn Calderon each singled and scored on sacrifice flies.
San Diego State rallied in the top of the fifth inning to tie the score. Jazmin Williams homered to dead center field on the first pitch of the inning. Two batters later, Kaila Pollard hit a homer of her own to left. The Aztecs loaded the bases when Kiara Cisneros doubled, Angie Yellen was hit by a pitch and Waiki walked. Jade Ignacio cleared the bases with a game-tying triple to center field. However, the Rebels went back on top in the bottom half. Williams was hit by a pitch and Turner singled before Chavez followed with an RBI single. Sefe also had an RBI single to make it 7-5 UNLV before Jordan struck out the next two hitters to end the inning.
Jordan pitched a shutout frame in the sixth inning to keep the Aztecs within two.
In the seventh inning, UNLV got two quick outs and was within an out of a win. Yellen and Waiki each singled to put the tying run on base. Ignacio cleared the wall in left field for a three-run homer to give the Aztecs an 8-7 lead. SDSU didn’t stop there. Emma French followed her with a single and Williams homered for the second time of the day to extend the lead to three. Following a Rebels pitching change, Olivia Gigante singled and scored on a Pollard double. Cisneros and Tylie Kitchen walked to load the bases and forced UNLV to change pitchers again. Yellen singled through the right side to bring Pollard and Cisneros home and extend the lead to six before the Rebels could get out of the inning. In the bottom half, Jordan finished off UNLV and the Aztecs emerged victorious by a 13-7 score.
THE NOTE I
For the second straight series finale at UNLV, the Aztecs rallied for at least eight runs to take the lead in an inning in which they were trailing with two outs and the bases empty.
THE NOTE II
Jazmin Williams hit her seventh and eighth home runs of the season, tying Shannon Cunningham’s team-leading mark from 2025. The last Aztec with more was Mac Barbara, who homered 14 times in 2024.
UP NEXT
San Diego State is back on the road next weekend for a series at New Mexico. The games are scheduled to start at 5 p.m. PT on Friday, 1 p.m. PT on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday. All three games will be streamed on Mountain West Network.
San Diego State 13, UNLV 7
San Diego State (18-13, 3-3) 001 010 1 – 13 14 0
UNLV (16-16, 3-3) 201 220 0 – 7 10 0
W – Jordan, 8-3; L – Sherwood, 5-6
HR: Williams, SDSU (7); Pollard, SDSU (1); Ignacio, SDSU (4), Williams, SDSU (8)