SAN DIEGO – Ahmiya Noriega had three hits including her second home run of the season and Shay McDowell added a home run of her own to lead San José State softball (22-27, 9-13 MW) in a narrow 5-4 loss against San Diego State (33–16, 16-6 MW) in the finale of this regular season ending three game series from SDSU Softball Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Shortstop Noriega led the offensive charge for the Spartans, going 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a double, driving in one run and scoring twice. First baseman McDowell added a two-run homer of her own in the fourth inning to briefly give SJSU a 3–2 lead.
Trailing 2–1 entering the fourth, the Spartans surged ahead with McDowell’s blast and tacked on another run in the fifth thanks to a clutch RBI single by Taylor Squires, who came off the bench to pinch-hit.
SJSU used all five of their pitchers in a combined effort to hold the Aztecs to just three runs through six innings. Ava Conti was a bright spot out of the bullpen, tossing two hitless innings with two strikeouts. However, the Aztecs rallied with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to walk it off, capitalizing on a pair of hits and an error.
- Ahmiya Noriega: 3-for-4, HR, double, single, RBI, 2 runs
- Noriega extends her hit streak to 7 games going into the postseason.
- Noriega has 13 multi-hit games this season and four games with three hits or more.
- Shay McDowell: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBIs, 1 run
- McDowell’s home run is her second of the season and third of her career.
- McDowell has notched multiple RBIs six times this season.
- Taylor Squires: 1-for-1, pinch-hit RBI single
- Squires’ RBI gives her five for the season, tying her total from last year.
- Squires led the clubhouse in pinch hits this season.
- Taylor Chillingworth: 1-for-3, single
- Ava Conti: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
- Conti’s relief appearance set a new career high for innings pitched without giving up a hit.
- Conti’s two strikeouts tied her season high
UP NEXT: The Spartans will begin their postseason as the six seed with a matchup against third-seeded Fresno State on Wednesday, May 7 at 6:00 p.m. PT from the Credit Union 1 2025 Mountain West Softball Tournament in San Diego.
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