San Diego State softball (12-8) took on the Kansas City Roos (8-8) early Saturday afternoon as they closed out their final game of the Torero Classic. The Scarlet and Black looked to bounce back after an 11-3 loss earlier in the day against No. 24 Washington.
The game opened up with a tightly contested first inning, as the Aztecs would have traffic on the basepaths immediately, as junior utility player Jazmin Williams hit a single back up the middle with one out, before moving to second on a stolen base. The Scarlet and Black would capture the lead first, thanks to an RBI single from senior right fielder Angie Yellen, giving them a 1-0 lead as the game headed to the bottom of the first.
However, the Roos looked to respond quickly in the bottom half of the first, as Kansas City loaded the bases with one out, after a lead-off walk from sophomore second baseman Ella Muzak and a pair of singles from senior utility player Lauren Parker and junior infielder Kim Yepez.
Starting pitcher Faith Jordan escaped a jam by forcing a fielder’s choice that cut down a runner at home for the second out. Jordan followed that play up by getting sophomore third baseman Leilani Bustamante to line out, ending the inning and Kansas City’s threat.
“She came in and threw strikes and commanded the zone,” head coach Stacey Nuveman commented on Faith Jordan’s performance. “She gave up some hits but that didn’t rattle her. She just got right back into it and kept throwing strikes which was a good step in the right direction.”
The Roos, however, would tie the game in the bottom half of the second on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Parker. But the Roos would leave two runners stranded, as freshman utility player Megan Johnston would strike out to end the inning.
Heading into the top of the third, the Aztecs’ offense would completely take over the game, scoring four runs in the top half of the inning, thanks to a two-run home run from junior first baseman Olivia Gigante and a two-run double from sophomore centerfielder Jayleen Hernandez. The offense would continue to click, as the Scarlet and Black added on two more runs in the top of the fourth inning, thanks to an RBI single from Gigante and a sacrifice fly from Yellen, extending the Aztecs lead to 7-1.
The Scarlet and Black would push across their final three runs of the game in the top of the fifth, due to RBI singles from Hernandez, freshman third baseman Emma French and standout senior catcher Jade Ignacio, putting the game within mercy-rule range.
The Roos would bring one run across in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI double from Bustamante, but were unable to plate one more. This ended the game via mercy rule, after junior catcher Franklin Monica grounded out to wrap the game up early with a 10-2 final score.
“We just had to get back to basics, we had a rough couple days and sometimes the game pushes you and keeps you humble, and so I think for us it was just about getting back to our process,” coach Deniz commented after the game.
“I mean, when things are hard, the best thing we can do is come together and lean on each other,” Ignacio said on the game and weekend as a whole.
The Scarlet and Black are set to face Long Beach State in a one-off game on Wednesday, March 4 at 5:30 p.m., before returning home to face off in the San Diego Classic to close out the weekend.
