JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The San Diego State softball team scored four times in the top of the first inning and never looked back in a 5-2 win over Jacksonville in the season opener for both teams Thursday at the River City Leadoff at Debbie & Fred Pruitt Softball Complex.
The Aztecs scored four runs in the first on three hits and two Dolphin errors. Kelsey Munoz got things going when she doubled in Shelby Thompson. Sara Lillie followed with a single, which allowed Taylor Adams to score easily from third. Alexa Schultz then grounded out to JU pitcher Alyssa Bilodeau, but Munoz scored from third for SDSU's third run of the inning. Later in the inning Lillie scored on a fielding error by Jacksonville shortstop Makenzie Buss.
The Dolphins got one back in the bottom of the first when Caroline Watson's two-out single scored Kassidy Cross.
JU was on its way to a big inning in the second when it loaded the bases with no outs on two singles and a walk off San Diego State pitcher Marissa Moreno. Moreno, however, struck out Madison Kennedy swinging and, after a Buss single scored Al Gennaro-Ferrante, got Cross to ground into a double play. On the play, second Jillian Celis got the first out and tossed it to Adams at first base to get the Aztecs out of the inning with minimum damage.
SDSU tacked on an insurance run in the third when Schultz singled, stole second and scored on a single to center field by Summer Hargett.
San Diego State looked to add to its lead in the sixth when it had two runners in scoring position with two outs. Bilodeau (0-1), however, got Munoz to ground out to third to keep the score at 5-2.
Jacksonville tried one last-ditch effort in the seventh, getting two runners into scoring position on a hit batter and a two-base error. Maggie Balint, however, struck out Buss swinging to seal the win for the Aztecs.
Adams and Munoz had two hits apiece to pace SDSU, which outhit the Dolphins, 8-5, for the game. Celis also reached twice in her first career collegiate game with a single and a walk.
The offense was plenty for the San Diego State pitching staff. Moreno started the game and yielded two runs on five hits and two walks over three innings, while striking out two. Johnson (1-0) and Balint made their Aztec debut in relief, together striking out nine over four hitless innings. Johnson, a sophomore who redshirted last season at SDSU after transferring from Cal State Fullerton, picked up the win after striking out three in a perfect two innings of relief. Balint, who came to San Diego State from Oregon, struck out six in just two innings with a hit batter to earn her first save in the first opportunity of the season.
THE NOTE
The Aztecs started five newcomers in the middle of the lineup. Sara Lillie (Oregon State transfer) got the start in right field and batted cleanup, Alexa Schultz (Oklahoma transfer) started in left field and hit fifth, Sadie Langlet (freshman) started at catcher and batted sixth, Summer Hargett (Northwestern transfer) was the designated player and hit seventh and Jillian Celis (freshman) got the start at second base and batted eighth. Hannah Johnson (Cal State Fullerton transfer, redshirted at SDSU last year) and Maggie Balint (Oregon transfer) also pitched in relief for San Diego State and picked up the win and save, respectively.
THE NOTE II
The Aztecs won their 28th straight game when leading after five innings.
STAT OF THE DAY
SDSU improved to 21-3 in season openers under head coach Kathy Van Wyk. San Diego State has won seven of its last eight season-opening games and 18 of the last 20. Since records were first kept in 1980, the Aztecs are 30-11 (.732) in their opening games.
UP NEXT
SDSU continues its play in the River City Kickoff Tournament with a pair of games on Friday, beginning with Villanova at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) and then Nicholls at 2:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. PT).
San Diego State 5, Jacksonville 2
San Diego State (1-0) 401 000 0 -- 5 8 1
Jacksonville (0-1) 110 000 0 -- 2 5 4
Moreno, Johnson (4), Balint (6) and Langlet, Umi (4); Bilodeau and Kern
W - Johnson, 1-0; L - Bilodeau, 0-1; SV: Balint, 1
Softball Downs Jacksonville, 5-2, in Season Opener
