SAN DIEGO – San Diego State split a pair of games Saturday at the San Diego Classic at SDSU Softball Stadium. The Aztecs (13-8) opened with their second-consecutive one-hit shutout in an 8-0, five-inning victory over St. John's, before giving up five runs with two outs in the final inning to defending national champion and No. 1/1 UCLA in a 5-0 loss in the nightcap.
In the opener, SDSU recorded its second straight one-hit shutout in an 8-0, five-inning victory over the Red Storm (6-13), which had snapped San José State's nation-leading 17-game winning streak earlier in the day.
Hannah Johnson picked off where Marissa Moreno and Maggie Balint left off Friday night in a 1-0 victory over Weber State by allowing a bunt single in the second inning, a walk and a hit batter, while striking out four. Johnson improved to 4-1 on the season with her second complete game shutout.
San Diego State, which had just one run and five hits over its previous two games, came out of an offensive funk against SJU with seven hits and a season-high nine walks.
Sadie Langlet had a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, while Sara Lillie had a sacrifice fly. The Aztecs scored their others runs on bases loaded walks by Makayla Jordan (twice) and Alexa Schultz, and a pair of errors.
Schultz and Shelby Thompson each were 1-for-1 with two walks, while Kiera Wright singled and walked. Jordan, making the first start of her career, had her first career RBIs with the aforementioned two walks.
In the nightcap, SDSU held the potent Bruin (18-1) offense at bay until the top of the seventh inning when UCLA scored on a two-out, two-run single and later added a three-run homer.
Johnson started and pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits with one strikeout. Maggie Balint (5-3) went the rest of the way, yielding five runs on six hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings, striking out six.
Schultz doubled for San Diego State, while Wright and Langlet each added singles.
The Aztecs had two good chances to break a scoreless tie, but couldn't come through with the clutch hit. In the fourth, Wright reached on a one-out bunt single and stole second. Megan Faraimo, however, got Kelsey Munoz to ground out to shortstop and Thompson to strike out swinging to get out of the inning.
In the fifth, Schultz doubled to right-center field with two outs, but Faraimo (11-1) struck out Riley Thies looking to keep her shutout intact.
Faraimo struck out nine with just two hits allowed in 3 2/3 innings to pick up the victory for the Bruins.
THE NOTE
SDSU gave up five runs in the seventh inning with two outs against No. 1/1 UCLA, snapping its streak of 18 2/3 innings without giving up a run and 27 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run.
THE NOTE II
San Diego State played in its first games on a Leap Day since 2008, when it swept games over Saint Peter's (11-0 in six innings) and Harvard (10-1 in five innings).
STAT OF THE DAY
Coupled with their one-hitter against Weber State on Friday night and one-hitter vs. St. John's in the first game on Saturday, the Aztecs recorded back-to-back one-hitters for the first time since at least the 2006 season.
UP NEXT
SDSU wraps up its play in the San Diego Classic Sunday with a game against CSUN, beginning at 2 p.m. PT.
Game 1: San Diego State 8, St. John's 0 (5 innings)
St. John's (6-13) 000 00 -- 0 1 3
San Diego State 302 3x -- 8 7 0
Brown, Faieta (3), Kmett (4) and Peyton; Johnson and Langlet, Thies (4)
W - Johnson, 4-1; L - Brown, 4-5
HR: San Diego State, Langlet (2)
Game 2: No. 1/1 UCLA 5, San Diego State 0
UCLA (18-1) 000 000 5 -- 5 10 0
San Diego State (13-8) 000 000 0 -- 0 3 0
Azevedo, Faraimo (4) and Garcia; Johnson, Balint (3) and Langlet
W - Faraimo, 11-1; L - Balint, 5-4
HR: UCLA, Brady (7)
Softball Splits on Saturday at San Diego Classic
