In a game where both teams squandered opportunity after opportunity, it was only a matter of time before one squad broke through.

Senior shortstop Jen Wisneski broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning by sending a three-run home run over the left field wall, helping the San Diego State softball team to a 4-0 win against the UNLV Rebels last Saturday at the SDSU Softball Stadium.

“It feels amazing,” Wisneski said. “I know how hard this team works, everybody on the team wants it bad; it feels good that I contributed to the team today.”

Wisneski had a feeling of how UNLV’s Amanda Oliveto was going to pitch her prior to the at-bat.

“I knew she was coming inside,” Wisneski said. “She had been pounding everybody inside, so I had to adjust to the inside pitch.”

Head coach Kathy Van Wyk wasn’t surprised by her shortstop’s home run shot.

“Jen has been doing this a lot for us at the end of games lately,” Van Wyk said. “She’s clutch.”

It wasn’t all great for the Aztecs, though. Both teams left plenty of runners on base. UNLV left nine, while SDSU (29-16, 5-2 MWC) left seven.

Despite that, Van Wyk thought the game was well played.

“Both teams pitched great and played great defense,” she said. “It was just a matter of who was going to come up with a timely hit.”

Defense was key for the Aztecs as UNLV put a number of balls in play, which junior pitcher Bailey Micetich appreciated.

“They were just on,” Micetich said. “It’s so nice to know they’re going to get whatever goes out there.”

Van Wyk has been telling Micetich to let the defense make the plays, and Saturday Micetich did.

“Let them hit the ball,” Van Wyk said. “We’ve been stressing it to Bailey; there will be somebody back there to pick her up.”

That defense helped Micetich throw her second consecutive complete-game shutout. She struck out six batters while giving up seven hits in the effort.