With seven games within five days, the San Diego State softball team has a busy week ahead of it. So far, the Aztecs kicked the week off right, starting with a 10-7 win against Iona College Tuesday night.
“I think we did a good job offensively and making adjustments at the plate, learning their pitchers and figuring them out,” head coach Kathy Van Wyk said. “We had excellent defense tonight and I was very pleased with them.”
In the first inning, Iona scored its first three runs, thanks to a double with the bases loaded by senior utility Beth Kann.
SDSU answered back with a run of its own in the bottom half of the first. The Aztecs didn’t score again until the third.
Once they did, though, the Aztecs couldn’t be stopped. Senior first baseman Kamerin May singled in sophomore left fielder Kayla Jordan for the first run. Then, junior right fielder Patrice Jackson hit a two-run single that brought home second baseman Katie Mathis and junior pinch runner Stefani Polonia. Freshman third baseman Kayla Bufardeci singled in sophomore pinch runner Jacki Campa for the last run of the third inning.
SDSU was far from done and its five runs in the fifth inning showed the Gaels it was determined to stay on top.
Iona attempted to catch up in the seventh inning with a pair of two-run homers by freshman infielder Sarah Schutz and freshman pitcher Christine Costello, which put the Gaels down by three runs.
But junior pitcher Lorena Bauer, who struggled in the first inning, wasn’t going to let Iona come back that easily: She struck out Kann to give SDSU the win and send Iona packing.
“It was a little rocky at first, but then I felt better as the game went on,” Bauer said.
Bauer hasn’t pitched a win since Feb.12, 2011 against Utah State University, so this was her first complete career game in a career-high seven innings. Bauer allowed seven runs on nine hits and two walks and had a career-high six strikeouts.
Mathis went 4-for-4 from the plate with three runs scored and two RBIs in the 10-7 win, while Jordan, May, Bufardeci and Jackson added two hits each.
Today’s game against Bryant University at 3:30p.m. marks the beginning of the San Diego Classic II, which ends Saturday for the Aztecs against Texas Tech University.
“I think these games this week in preparation leading up to conference are just really important for us to gain confidence and continue getting better and better,” Van Wyk said.
