ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The San Diego State softball team (18-15, 3-5 Mountain West) came up short in both games of its doubleheader against New Mexico (15-18, 3-5 MW) on Saturday, falling 9-5 and 7-4.
During the first game of the day, New Mexico got on the board in the first inning. Briana Williams led off with a walk and stole second and third base. DeNae Vasquez-Dickson followed her with another walk and a stolen base. The Lobos loaded the bases when Miracle McKenzie walked. Faith Jordan entered the circle and got the next three batters to fly out but the first two were deep enough to serve as sacrifice flies and New Mexico took a 2-0 lead into the second inning.
On her birthday, Jade Ignacio singled to lead off the second. Three batters later, Olivia Gigante hit a two-run homer to center field to tie the game. Kaila Pollard singled and Kiara Cisneros walked in the inning to threaten more runs, but the Aztecs were unable to get ahead. Jordan finished a scoreless second inning with a strikeout.
Shortstop Quinn Waiki walked and stole a base in the third inning. However, New Mexico rallied in the bottom of the inning. Vasquez-Dickson led off with a double and McKenzie was hit by a pitch. Vasquez-Dickson scored on an error and the next hitter, Allie Williams, hit a three-run homer. Following a groundout, Melanie Macias singled to right and Jasmyn Lloyd hit a two-run home run to center to make it 8-2 Lobos. Ava Schaffel entered the circle and retired the next two hitters to finally end the inning.
The Aztecs trimmed the deficit in the fourth. Emma French led off with a single and Pollard launched a two-run homer over the bleachers in right field to make it a four-run game. Cisneros walked again. The first two Lobos reached base in the bottom of the inning, but Schaffel retired the next three hitters to keep them from scoring.
Waiki led off the top of the fifth with a double and moved up to third base on an error by the right fielder on the play. She crossed the plate when Jazmin Williams hit a sacrifice fly to right field. Schaffel had another scoreless inning in the bottom of the frame.
Pollard doubled and Macario singled in the sixth, but the Aztecs were unable to produce any runs. New Mexico added an insurance run on a McKenzie homer.
Ignacio lined a base hit back up the middle in the seventh and advanced into scoring position but was stranded there as New Mexico finished off a 9-5 win.
SDSU’s bats started out hot in the second game. Lala Macario bunted for a single on the second pitch of the game and scored on a two-out double by Pollard into the gap in left center field. The Lobos responded in the bottom of the inning. Briana Williams was hit by a pitch and advanced to third base before scoring on a ground ball. Allie Williams doubled and Gabrielle Briones walked while Williams moved up on a wild pitch. Both runners advanced on a double steal and Briones went to third base on an error but was thrown out after overrunning the base to end the inning.
Matti Kwarta faced the minimum in the second inning including a pair of strikeouts.
In the third inning, the Aztecs went back on top. Cisneros was hit by a pitch to start things and Macario singled to second base. Ignacio knocked in Cisneros with a single through the left side. Following a Pollard walk, Gigante hit a sacrifice fly to center field to bring Macario home and give the Aztecs a 3-2 lead. New Mexico went back on top in the bottom of the frame. Jewels Hanawahine led off with a walk. Briana Williams took her spot at first base on a fielder’s choice. She moved up to second on a wild pitch before scoring on a single by Vasquez-Dickson. Following a McKenzie walk, Kwarta struck out Allie Williams. Briones walked to load the bases for Jessica DeLeon, who knocked in Vasquez-Dickson with a single up the middle. McKenzie scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3 New Mexico before new pitcher Key-annah Pu’a retired the first hitter she faced to end the inning.
Pu’a allowed a walk but nothing more in the fourth inning.
Waiki homered in the top of the fifth to trim the deficit to a run. The next hitter, Pollard, tripled to left center field, but was stranded on third base. McKenzie singled to begin the bottom of the inning. Following a Pu’a strikeout of Allie Williams, Briones hit a two-run homer to center field to stretch the lead back out to three runs. Candace Tarle entered the circle with two outs and a runner on first base and struck out Ella Dawson to end the inning.
Jazmin Williams led off with a single in the sixth inning and advanced to third base on a pair of groundouts. She was stranded there. Tarle made quick work of the Lobos in the bottom of the inning, allowing an infield single and nothing more.
In the seventh inning, SDSU went down in order, falling 7-4.
THE NOTE
Kaila Pollard had a phenomenal day at the plate, finishing with a 3.400 OPS. She reached base in all six plate appearances and hit for the cycle. In the first game, she had a single, a two-run home run and a double. Pollard hit an RBI double, walked and tripled in the second game.
UP NEXT
San Diego State and New Mexico wrap up the series with a game scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on Sunday. It will be streamed on Mountain West Network.
New Mexico 9, San Diego State 5
San Diego State (18-14, 3-4) 020 210 0 – 5 9 1
New Mexico (14-18, 2-5) 206 001 X – 9 7 1
W – Barela, 2-3; L – Jordan, 8-4; S – Guest, 2
HR: Gigante, SDSU (7); A. Williams, UNM (6); Lloyd, UNM (1), Pollard, SDSU (2); McKenzie, UNM (12)
New Mexico 7, San Diego State 4
San Diego State (18-15, 3-5) 102 010 1 – 4 7 1
New Mexico (15-18, 3-5) 203 020 X – 7 7 0
W – Capek, 2-2; L – Kwarta, 5-4; S – Benningfield, 3
HR: Waiki, SDSU (2); Briones, UNM (4)