March 18, 2018
San Jose, Calif. - Junior Madison Aurin dominated the San Diego State Aztecs, in the circle and at the plate, giving up two hits and an unearned run and slamming two three-run homers in San José State softball's 9-1, five-inning victory on Sunday.
Since San José State (19-9, 3-0 MW) joined the Mountain West in the 2013-14 school year, this is the first time the Spartans have swept SDSU and the second time they have run-ruled the Aztecs. In the same timeframe, San Diego State has never swept or gotten a run-rule win over SJSU.
In the circle, Aurin (7-7) gave up a pair of hits and an unearned run in the first and then set down 12 of the final 13 batters in the complete game victory. The only Aztec to reach base after the first inning came on a two-out walk in the fourth. The victory is Aurin's sixth in her last seven decisions and for the week she went 2-0 with a save in three appearances.
After San Diego State (9-20, 0-3 MW) scored in the first, its only lead in the series, the Spartans came right back in the bottom of the frame.
With one out, SJSU got back-to-back singles from Kaelin Amrein (2-for-3, R) and Cassidy Clark to put runners on first and second. Georgia Blair then singled to right driving in Amrein and Clark and Blair advanced to second and third on the throw to the plate.
Brittany Abacherli (0-for1, 2R) hit a grounder to third, but the fielder threw the ball away going to first, which allowed Clark (2-for-3, 2R) to score an unearned run and put the Spartans up 2-1.
In the second, Grace Garvey (2-for-2) singled, one of two hits she had on the day, but the Spartans couldn't take advantage of the situation.
In the third, SJSU got three runs on four hits to bust the game open. Clark singled to lead off the inning and two batters later Abacherli walked. Clark was lifted for pinch runner Isabel Gonzalez-Velarde, which brought Aurin (2-for-3, 2R, 6RBI, 2 HR) to the plate. On a 1-1 count the clobbered a homer to dead centerfield to make it 5-1. It was her second three-run home run of the weekend and she was just getting started.
In the fourth, the Spartans put the game away. Emma Entzminger (1-for-2, R, RBI, HR) led off the inning with a solo shot to center. It was the seniors second homer of the season, the fourth of her career and made the score 6-1.
Amrein followed Entzminger with a single. Three batters later, with two outs and a runner on first, Abacherli walked, which brought Aurin to the plate. The count was 2-2 when the Bakersfield native launched her second three-run bomb of the day. It landed just over the centerfield fence and made the score 9-1.
Having knocked in six runs, a career-high, Aurin returned to the circle in the fifth and dispatched the Aztecs in order to earn the win.
SDSU used three pitchers in the game. Starter Marissa Moreno (2-10) pitched 2.1 innings allowing four runs on five hits. Julie McDonald gave up three hits and a run in two-thirds of an inning and Alex Formby went one inning and surrendered four runs on three hits.
In the three-game sweep, the Spartans hit seven home runs and outscored the Aztecs 20-to-4.
San Jose State 9, San Diego State 1 (Mar 18, 2018 at Los Altos, Calif.)
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San Diego State..... 100 00 - 1 2 1 (9-20, 0-3 MW)
San Jose State...... 203 4X - 9 11 1 (19-9, 3-0 MW)
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Pitchers: San Diego State - MORENO, Marissa; MCDONALD, Julie(3); FORMBY, Alex(4) and .
San Jose State - Aurin, Madison and .
Win-AURIN, Madison(7-7) Loss-MORENO, Marissa(2-10) T-1:16 A-103
HR SJ - Entzminger, Emma (2); Aurin, Madison 2 (7).
Game: SD-SJ3