SAN DIEGO -- San Diego State was unable to complete a series sweep, falling to Utah State, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at SDSU Softball Stadium.
The Aztecs (15-12, 2-1 MW) won the first two games against the Aggies (16-11, 1-2 MW), taking a 6-4 decision on Friday and a 14-0, five-inning run-rule triumph on Saturday to take the series.
Sunday's game featured a pitchers' duel between USU's Jessica Stewart, and SDSU's 1-1 punch of Cece Cellura and Allie Light.
Tied at 0-0 through six innings, Utah State finally broke through in the top of the seventh. Ali Ashner led off with a single and moved to second o on a sacrifice bunt by Jaden Colunga. It appeared Light (6-7) was going to get out of the inning after getting Claudia Medina to ground back to her weakly for the second out. Kya Pratt, however, followed with a single and Ashner just beat the throw home from San Diego State right fielder Angie Yellen. Ariel Fifita followed with another single but left fielder Bella Espinoza's throw home to catcher Cali Decker got Pratt at the plate.
The Aztecs mounted one last comeback in the bottom of the seventh as Katie Goldberg reached on a one-out single and was replaced by Elianna Reyes. After a Yellen flyout where Aggie center fielder Tatum Silva made a diving catch, Jade Ignacio kept SDSU's hopes alive with a pinch-hit single to advance Reyes to third base. Espinoza re-entered for Ignacio and promptly stole second. Stewart (4-2), however, got Macey Keester to fly out to right field to end the game.
San Diego State's other best chance to score came in the fifth when Yellen doubled down the third-base line to lead off the inning. After an Espinoza flyout, she got to third on a Keester groundout. Aztec leadoff hitter Lala Macario, however, grounded out to shortstop to keep it a scoreless game.
USU had two runners in scoring position in the second with one out, but Cellura got Colunga and Emerson Meggers both to ground out.
In the fifth, Ashner and Colunga reached on consecutive singles for Utah State before Light replaced Cellura in the circle. Light struck out Meggers swinging and Zerenity Sousa looking before allowing an eight-pitch walk to Fifita to load the bases. Light then forced Silva to fly out to Yellen in right field to keep the Aggies off the scoreboard.
Five different SDSU players had a hit, but only Yellen's double was for extra bases.
Cellura tossed four scoreless innings as the starter, allowing five hits and no walks, while striking out one. Light took the loss, giving up one run on three hits and a walk in three innings of relief, striking out two.
THE NOTE
San Diego State dropped to 2-1 on the season when tied after six innings.
THE NOTE II
The Aztecs are now 2-1 in games played on Sunday this year.
STAT OF THE DAY
SDSU fell to 5-4 on the season in one-run games.
UP NEXT
San Diego State continues Mountain West play with a road series at Fresno State, meeting the Bulldogs at 6 p.m. PT Friday, 2 p.m. PT Saturday and noon PT Sunday.
Utah State 1, San Diego State 0
Utah State (16-11, 1-2 MW) 000 000 1 -- 1 8 0
San Diego State (15-12, 2-1 MW) 000 000 0 -- 0 5 0
Stewart and Matej; Cellura, Light (5) and Decker
W - Stewart, 4-2; L - Light, 6-7
Aztecs Edged by Utah State, 1-0, in Series Finale
