SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State softball team (23-24, 8-14 Mountain West) was tripped up by Boise State (22-30, 8-14 MW) by a 5-2 score on Sunday at SDSU Softball Stadium.
Seniors Lala Macario (single) and Jade Ignacio (walk) each reached base for the Aztecs in the first inning.
After two quick outs in the top of the second, Boise State’s Quinn Southerland walked before scoring on a double by Talia Jenkins. Jenkins also scored on an error before the inning came to an end to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead.
In the top of the third inning, Ava Schaffel entered the circle and with no outs and two runners in scoring position, she retired three straight hitters including a pair of strikeouts to strand both baserunners and keep the deficit at two. Macario and Kaila Pollard each legged out infield singles in the bottom of the frame.
Schaffel worked around a two-out double in the top of the fourth. In the SDSU half, Quinn Waiki led off and reached on an error. She advanced on a Gabriella Terrones walk and a single by Kiara Cisneros. Waiki crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jazmin Williams to get the Aztecs on the board.
During the fifth inning, Schaffel stranded two more Broncos. Pollard led off in the bottom of the frame and launched a solo home run to right to even the score at two.
Boise State managed an infield single but nothing more in the sixth. Olivia Gigante was hit by a pitch to open the latter half of the inning. Pinch runner Andrea Tall stole her way into scoring position before advancing to third base on a Williams single but could not come around to score.
The Broncos went back in front in the seventh. They loaded the bases with three straight singles before two more singles drove in runs and a walk made it 5-2. Faith Jordan got the next two hitters out to finally escape the jam, but the damage was done. Pollard picked up her third hit of the game with a leadoff single in the bottom of the inning, but SDSU could manage no more, falling 5-2.
THE NOTE
San Diego State’s four-game win streak on Senior Day was snapped. Sunday’s contest marked SDSU’s first defeat on Senior Day under Stacey Nuveman Deniz and the first by the program since 2021.
UP NEXT
San Diego State will wrap up the regular season with a road series at Fresno State. The series will feature games at 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday as well as a 1 p.m. start on Saturday. All three will be streamed on Mountain West Network.
Boise State 5, San Diego State 2
Boise State (22-30, 8-14) 020 000 3 – 5 8 1
San Diego State (23-24, 8-14) 000 110 0 – 2 7 3
W – Duran, 5-5; L – Schaffel, 3-2; S – Crabtree, 2
HR: Pollard, SDSU (6)