FRESNO, Calif. – The San Diego State softball team (24-26, 9-16 Mountain West) dropped a heartbreaker against Fresno State (23-23, 12-13 MW) by a 4-2 score in eight innings on Saturday in the Aztecs’ final game of 2026.
The second batter of the game for the Aztecs, Kaila Pollard, launched a solo home run to dead center field to give SDSU a 1-0 advantage. In the bottom of the inning, Key-annah Pu’a tossed a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout of Alyssa Rebolledo.
Quinn Waiki singled and stole a base in the second inning. Pu’a allowed a leadoff single but nothing more in the latter half.
Jazmin Williams lined a base hit in the third. Matti Kwarta entered the circle for SDSU and stranded two Bulldogs on base.
Kwarta worked around a double by Alyssa Ramirez for a scoreless fourth inning.
Ally Dueker walked and stole second base in the fifth inning. She tried to score on a single by Williams but was thrown out at home plate. Ava Schaffel took over pitching duties in the bottom of the inning and walked the first two hitters but retired the next three to end the inning.
Faith Jordan entered the circle in the bottom of the sixth inning and pitched a three up, three down inning with a strikeout.
Quinn Waiki added a big insurance run in the top of the seventh inning with a leadoff solo homer to left field. Olivia Gigante followed her with a single but pinch runner Andrea Tall was caught stealing. Jordan started the bottom of the inning with two straight groundouts. Then, things unraveled. Natalie Elias tripled down the right field line for the Bulldogs to keep the game going. Emma Martinez followed her with a triple of her own to left field to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. Rebolledo evened the score with an RBI single to right field. After another single, Pu’a came back in to pitch and walked the bases loaded before escaping the jam.
Jade Ignacio legged out a single back to the circle in the top of the eighth inning, but her teammates were unable to advance her. In the bottom of the frame, Olivia Hill led off with a single for the Bulldogs and Rylee Bocchini followed her with a walk-off two-run home run.
THE NOTE I
San Diego State’s 44 home runs this year were the fifth-most in a season in program history behind just 2013 (45), 2017 (45), 2012 (58) and 2015 (63).
THE NOTE II
San Diego State played its first extra-inning conference game of the season.
Fresno State 4, San Diego State 2
San Diego State (24-26, 9-16) 100 000 10 – 2 8 0
Fresno State (23-23, 12-13) 000 000 22 – 4 10 0
W – Carranco, 16-11; L – Pu’a, 6-11
HR: Pollard, SDSU (7); Waiki, SDSU (6); Bocchini, FS (1)