The San Diego State Aztecs (21-10) defended their home turf as they swept the New Mexico Lobos (16-15-1) in their first Mountain West home series of the season.

The stands at SDSU Softball Stadium began to fill on Saturday afternoon with fans who were eager to see if the Aztecs could build off Friday’s momentum and snag another win at home.

Upwards of 1,100 rowdy fans packed the bleachers and cheered SDSU onto victory. Head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz displayed her gratitude for the home fans postgame.

“I thought it was a really good crowd tonight, and for a sort of nondescript game,” said Nuveman Deniz. “You expect that when you’re playing Oklahoma and UCLA, but I was really pleased with the turnout and just the energy in the stands; it was definitely a San Diego State crowd.”

Senior Grace Uribe commanded the circle for the Scarlet and Black and gave the home faithful something to cheer about right out of the gate, sitting the visiting Lobos down in order in the top half of the first.

However, she did not get through the second inning with the same ease. An Allie Williams double and a Sydney Carithers walk put Uribe in a slight predicament. The polished senior trusted her defense and retired the next two batters, keeping the game scoreless.

Junior Jade Ignacio tripled to lead off the bottom of the second inning and scored on a wild pitch, putting SDSU ahead 1-0. Ignacio reached base in all three of her at-bats and was the most consistent offensive player for the Aztecs on Saturday.

In addition to her triple, she also notched two singles, two runs and an RBI. Ignacio has had her best season to date so far in 2025 and touched on her success after the win.

“[Softball] is just a fun game we get to play and I think [my] confidence comes from my teammates and the way that they trust me,” Ignacio shared. “It all comes down to trust and keeping it as simple as possible.”

Ignacio’s consistent output kept the Aztecs in the game and compensated for Uribe’s subpar performance. The SDSU starter only lasted 2.2 innings, giving up her only two earned runs in the third inning.

Freshmen Miracle McKenzie and Jessica DeLeon drove in the Lobos’ only runs of the game in the top half of the third, forcing Uribe out of the game.

Coach Nuveman Deniz leaned on senior and fan-favorite Dee Dee Hernandez. Hernandez shined in her 4.1 innings of work. She only allowed three hits and gave up zero runs and no walks. The Aztecs’ skipper sang Hernandez’s praises after her dominant relief effort.

“She’s a rockstar,” Nuveman Deniz said. “We joke that she’s best when the bases are loaded and the pressure is on. She is one of those pitchers that thrive in that environment when the game’s on the line and in big moments.”

Hernandez’s shutdown stuff encouraged the offense to follow her lead.

The Aztecs’ offense followed suit and scored in four out of six innings (they did not hit in the seventh).

In addition to Ignacio scoring in the second, she also drove in junior Angie Yellen in the home half of the third.

A Kate Farren bunt allowed SDSU to reclaim the lead at 3-2 after four innings.

Junior Shannon Cunningham launched a three-run home run to left field, “pulling the wind out of [New Mexico’s] sails” as Coach Nuveman Deniz put it. Cunningham’s three-run bomb put the Aztecs up 6-2 and they never looked back.

Hernandez never took her foot off the gas in the final innings. She flashed some leather in both the sixth and seventh innings, starting and converting two double plays to finish Saturday’s contest.

SDSU dominated the Lobos 6-2, allowing Hernandez to improve to 6-4 in 2025. New Mexico reliever Caprice Barela was charged with the loss.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, the Aztecs completed a three-game series sweep against the Lobos. This win would give SDSU a four-game winning streak heading into their upcoming road series.

In the third game of the series, the Aztecs would use their stellar pitching and strong offense propelling them to a 7-1 victory.

The Lobos came out striking first as they connected on a solo home run off the bat of Sydney Carithers, giving them a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning.

The Aztecs would strike back in the bottom of that same inning with a solo home run off the bat of designated player Jade Ignacio, making it the first home run of her career.

Ignacio commented post-game on how she felt at the moment.

“It was really fun, it was my first career home run and my teammates were super excited for me,” Ignacio said. “I was sprinting around the bases because I was so happy and I just wanted to get to home to celebrate with them.”

Not only did Ignacio go 2-4 in the final game of the series, but she put up stellar performances throughout the three games, tallying seven hits in ten at-bats for the whole weekend series. Coach Nuevman Deniz discussed post-game about Jade’s impact.

“I mean great weekend for her but in general, just an awesome teammate, someone that her teammates love to play with and play for,” said the Aztecs head coach. “So when she has success, I think everyone’s really excited and happy for her.”

This proved to be a huge moment in the game as it seemed to light a fire into the offense. The Aztecs would score two more runs in the second off RBI singles from Kate Farren and Bella Espinoza giving them a 3-1 lead.

The Aztecs scored again in the bottom of the fourth inning on a ground out by catcher Cali Decker giving them a 4-1 lead.

In the next inning, the Aztecs broke the game open as they scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth off the bats of Olivia Gigante and Kate Farren. This gave the Aztecs a 7-1 lead.

Farren reached base in all of her at-bats in the game and led the team in RBIs with three. She also made a diving play to end the game. Farren has been taking over Lala Macario’s spot since she went out with an ACL tear, and is starting to get into her groove. Coach Nuveman Deniz talked about Farren’s performance and the role she’s played for this team.

“That’s like a SportsCenter-type play and she actually threw her out by a step and a half, it wasn’t even close,” said the Aztecs manager. “So I’m really proud of her and just how she’s embraced her new opportunity and really making the most of it.”

Only two pitchers were needed for the Scarlet and Black as freshman Ava Schaffel started the game and earned her third win of the season going three innings, allowing only two hits and one earned run with three strikeouts. Cece Cellura would relieve her in the fourth inning and would earn her second save of the season. She was lights out as she went four innings on two hits and no earned runs.

The Aztecs proceeded to shut down the Lobos for the remainder of the game, earning a series sweep in their first home conference matchup of the season.

SDSU looks to continue their momentum as they head on the road to Reno, Nevada for a tough three-game series against the University of Nevada Wolf Pack starting Thursday.