After taking three of four games in the Torero Classic at the University of San Diego, San Diego State softball (19-10, 3-0 Mountain West Conference) came back to The Mesa to open up MWC play against the Colorado State Rams (8-16, 0-3 MWC).
The Aztecs were victorious, securing the sweep while outsourcing the Rams 21-2 in the three-game series. Here’s how each game went down:
Game one: SDSU 6, CSU 2
Dominant performances at the plate from sophomore Mac Barbara and freshman Bella Espinoza, and a two-run home run by freshman AJ Murphy was all of the thump the Aztecs would need behind stellar pitching from senior Maggie Balint and freshman Dee Dee Hernandez.
Barbara and Espinoza would get seven combined at-bats and hit safely in every one of them. Espinoza filled the role of leadoff batter as good as anyone could have, collecting four singles and scoring twice. The same can be said for Barbara, who batted clean-up for the Scarlet and Black, going 3-3 while collecting four RBIs and falling a triple short of the cycle.
Balint got the nod for game one of the series and was once again dominant, pitching three perfect frames while striking out four Rams. Dee Dee would come in the fourth inning and keep Colorado State at bay, holding them to two runs on two hits (a fifth inning home run and a triple in the seventh) while striking out three and closing the game.
Game two: SDSU 2, CSU 0
Action continued after game one with game two of a double header with Maggie Balint being the hero of the game after Aztec bats were only able to collect two hits.
Murphy got SDSU on the board early with an RBI single and — though they scored a run on an error in the next inning — that’s all Balint would need to work with, pitching a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out seven Rams.
Though the bats were quiet for SDSU, Aztec batters were patient in the box, walking seven times in game two of the double header.
Game three: SDSU 13, CSU 0 (Five innings)
The Aztecs showed no mercy to the Rams in the final game of the series with aggressive at bats and nearly perfect pitching.
Before CSU could record an out, Barbara got the party started with a first inning grand slam that gave SDSU the early 4-0 lead. Barbara would finish the series without recording an out, going 5-5 with a single, a double, a triple and two home runs, drawing four walks while scoring three times and driving in eight RBIs.
The Scarlet and Black erupted for seven more runs the following inning, including a steal of home plate by senior Alexa Schultz, an RBI walk by senior Nicole Seiss, a two RBI single by sophomore Makena Brocki and a three-run dinger by senior Taylor Adams to cap off the scoring for the Aztecs, and give them an 11-0 lead at the end of two.
The final two runs of the game would be scored in the fourth inning off of an RBI single from Brocki and a sacrifice-fly by Adams.
The Rams had no answer for SDSU pitching. Sophomore Allie Light and Hernandez combined for five innings of near perfection, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out six.
Up next
The Scarlet and Black look to stay hot as they continue conference play in Fresno as they take on the Fresno State Bulldogs (5-21, 0-3 MWC). The three-game series starts on Friday, March 25 and concludes on Sunday, March 27.
