In an emotional yet unforgettable day, the San Diego State softball team paid tribute to its four departing seniors with a win thanks in part to solid offense and a phenomenal pitching performance by senior
Bailey Micetich, who tied her career high of 13 strikeouts in a game.
After a difficult start to its three-game series, SDSU (28-21, 7-2 Mountain West Conference) was able to bounce back into first place in the MW after defeating Boise State 7-1 (34-17, 8-4 MW) in its final game this past Sunday at the SDSU Softball Stadium.
“We had a big talk before the game and knew we had to fight hard in order to win,” Micetich said.
In her final home game of her collegiate career, Micetich, who pitched a complete game, went out with a bang. In seven innings, Micetich only allowed three hits and one run. To add to her already exceptional stats, she retired the final 16 Bronco batters she faced, 12 of whom were sent back to the dugout on strikeouts.
“It’s always good to pitch well and it’s great to have a good defense to back me up,” Micetich said.
The Aztecs’ dominance wasn’t soley restricted to only the action on the mound. SDSU had 11 hits for the game, two of which were home runs by sophomore shortstop Hayley Miles and redshirt sophomore Patrice Jackson, who went 3-for-3 in the afternoon.
Miles made it in the record books with her latest home run. With 16 home runs for the season, she now holds the Aztecs’ single-season home run record, which was previously set by teammate sophomore utility Lorena Klopp last season.
Miles said about her most recent achievement, “I’m glad I can hit all these home runs for the team. It’s the most I’ve ever hit in a season so it’s a great accomplishment in my softball career.”
SDSU is now looking ahead to its last contest of the season when it will face UNLV in a critical series that will determine whether or not the Aztecs will clench the MW title and claim an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
“We just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing and play SDSU ball,” Micetich said.
