SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State softball team (20-19, 5-9 Mountain West) was bested by Nevada (28-13, 10-4 MW) in both games of a doubleheader at SDSU Softball Stadium on Wednesday. Nevada won 7-4 in the first game and 13-2 in five innings in the second game.
Each team scored in the first inning of the first game. Katelyn Wetteland doubled and scored for Nevada. Jade Ignacio led off in the bottom of the inning and singled. Angie Yellen followed her with another single before a walk by Quinn Waiki loaded the bases. Olivia Gigante walked to score Ignacio and tie the game. The Aztecs pulled ahead on an RBI single by Lala Macario.
SDSU loaded the bases in the second inning as well on singles by Gabriella Terrones and Kaila Pollard and a walk by Quinn Waiki. However, the runners were stranded.
In the third inning, the Scarlet and Black loaded the bases once more. Jazmin Williams, Macario and Ally Dueker each singled. Williams was out at home on a grounder back to the circle but the throw by the catcher to first base was wild, allowing Macario to score from second base to make it 3-1 San Diego State.
Ava Schaffel pitched a pair of three up, three down innings in the fourth and fifth innings. SDSU threatened but did not score in the fifth when Dueker singled and Terrones walked.
Hannah Di Genova and Talia Tretton each homered in the sixth to tie the game at three. In the bottom of the frame, Pollard singled. With two outs, Gigante doubled to left center field to pull the Aztecs back in front.
Nevada went ahead in the top of the seventh inning. Karolyn Glover and Lexi O’Gorman singled before they were bunted over by Madison Clark. Wetteland followed with a go-ahead two-run triple to center field. After the Aztecs intentionally walked Di Genova, Haylee Engelbrecht hit an RBI double and Tretton added a sacrifice fly to make it 7-4. Macario led off with a walk for SDSU, but the Aztecs were unable to get into scoring position in the inning, falling 7-4.
Key-annah Pu’a started the second game with a three up, three down inning. Pollard reached in the bottom of the inning when she was hit by a pitch.
Nevada scored five times in the second inning to take an early lead. O’Gorman and Matlyn Leech each hit RBI singles before Madison Clark hit a three-run bases-clearing double to give the Wolf Pack a 5-0 lead. Macario singled in the bottom of the inning.
In the third inning, Nevada added three more runs on a double by Tretton, a groundout by Bailie Clark and a single off the bat of Leech.
After the Wolf Pack added a run in the fourth on an O’Gorman sacrifice fly, the Aztecs battled in the bottom of the frame. Pollard led off with a double. Williams lined an RBI single to right to get San Diego State on the board before Macario drove her in with a double to the right of center field.
Nevada loaded the bases quickly in the fifth inning before all three runners scored on a double by Di Genova. She scored on a single by Anna Braukus to give the Wolf Pack its 13th run. Ignacio singled and Angie Yellen walked in the bottom of the inning, but it was not enough as the Aztecs fell 13-2.
THE NOTE
Lala Macario tallied a 1.833 OPS across the doubleheader, going 4-for-5 with a double, a walk, two RBIs and a run scored.
UP NEXT
San Diego State heads north for a two-game series at San Jose State this weekend. The Aztecs and Spartans are set to clash at 3 p.m. PT on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday. Both games will appear on the Mountain West Network.
Nevada 7, San Diego State 4
Nevada (27-13, 9-4) 100 002 4 – 7 10 1
San Diego State (20-18, 5-8) 201 001 0 – 4 12 0
W – Bumiller, 10-3; L – Pu’a, 5-7; S – Berlingeri, 2
HR: Di Genova, Nev (17); Tretton, Nev (4)
Nevada 13, San Diego State 2
Nevada (28-13, 10-4) 053 14 – 13 12 0
San Diego State (20-19, 5-9) 000 20 – 2 5 0
W – Berlingeri, 4-3; L – Pu’a, 5-8
HR: None