San Diego State softball fell by a score of 6-3 in the series finale to University of Nevada, Reno at SDSU Softball Stadium on April 15.
With the series split at 1-1 coming in, SDSU (13-26, 4-8 MW) was trying to win its first home series of the season by defeating the Wolf Pack (19-18, 8-6 MW).
The Aztecs led 3-1 in the third inning, but Nevada pulled off the comeback by scoring five unanswered runs to end the game.
Head coach Kathy Van Wyk said that the loss mirrored the team’s season.
“Today was like our season has been, which is extremely streaky,” Van Wyk said. “We’ve got good things happening…then, we’ll just flop. Its streakiness lends itself to losing confidence, and losing confidence doesn’t help when you’re playing this game.”
Nevada redshirt sophomore second baseman Kwynn Warner got the scoring started after she hit a solo home run off SDSU sophomore pitcher Marissa Moreno in the second.
The Aztecs responded in the bottom of the third when redshirt second baseman Katie Byrd came to the plate with the bases loaded and nobody out, and put the team on the board with an RBI groundout.
SDSU added two additional runs in the inning, after Nevada junior pitcher Amanda Geil misplayed a chopper from freshman third baseman Kelsey Munoz, making a bad throw to first base which allowed both sophomore shortstop Shelby Thompson and sophomore center fielder Kiera Wright to score.
Wright, who finished 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, also made a sliding catch in the outfield to begin the third inning.
Wright said that she was glad to contribute offensively and defensively for the team.
“I concentrate on trying to be a leader for everyone on this team,” Wright said. “We’ve been up and down this season, but I definitely think keeping the energy is key, and staying positive.”
The Aztecs held onto their 3-1 lead until the fifth inning, when senior pitcher Alex Formby entered the game in relief of Moreno after the Wolf Pack loaded the bases with one out.
A two-RBI single by Nevada sophomore left fielder Sadaria McAlister then tied the ball game at three-a-piece.
Following her single, McAlister stole second, and junior catcher Molly Sturdivant made an errant throw attempting to pick-off Nevada junior pinch runner Ali Tedford off at third. Tedford would score on the play to give the Wolf Pack a 4-3 lead.
Nevada sophomore first baseman Kenzi Goins and Warner finished off the team’s scoring after hitting back-to-back solo shots off Formby in the sixth inning.
Van Wyk said the Aztecs should have utilized more change-ups to prevent the Wolf Pack’s two home runs in the sixth.
“(We should have thrown) more change-ups. It was my fault; (Formby) has done a phenomenal job all year long,” Van Wyk said. “Her change-up is so effective, and sometimes we overthink things when trying to call pitches.”
After the series finale against the Wolf Pack, the Aztecs held a team meeting in shallow left field.
Senior right fielder Taylor Stewart, who finished the game 1-for-1 with a walk, said that the Aztecs discussed finishing the season on a high note.
“At this point, we have four weeks left of season. Obviously, we’re kind of off to a rough start in conference,” Stewart said. “So basically, we were just kind of talking about just finishing off as strong as we can, just kind of giving it all we got at this point.”
Next up for the Aztecs is a trip up north to play Mountain West rival Fresno State in a three game series from April 20-22.
Wright said that the Aztecs need to keep a positive attitude going forward as they head into the next series.
“Everytime after a game, we’re always negative on ourselves. We never put out the positive things we do,” Wright said. “So I think staying positive, once we go into Fresno, will help us.”
