SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State softball team (22-22, 7-12 Mountain West) coasted to a 9-1 win over No. 19/24 Grand Canyon (43-6, 16-3 MW) in five innings on Sunday at SDSU Softball Stadium.
Grand Canyon loaded the bases in the top of the first inning, but Faith Jordan escaped the jam without allowing a run. Jade Ignacio led off with a solo homer in the bottom of the frame to give the Aztecs a 1-0 lead.
GCU tied the game in the top of the second when Tinley Lucas led off with a single, advanced on a bunt and a flyout and scored on a single by Sydney McCray. SDSU responded with an offensive outburst in the bottom of the inning to pull back ahead. Olivia Gigante walked, Lala Macario bunted for a single and Gabriella Terrones was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ally Dueker walked to bring Gigante home. After a pitching change, Ignacio hit a sacrifice fly before Angie Yellen walked to reload the bases. The next hitter, Kaila Pollard, lined a two-run single through the right side before Quinn Waiki blooped a double down the left field line to score two more and make it 7-1 San Diego State.
Matti Kwarta put together three up, three down innings in the third and fourth. Ignacio singled with one out in the fourth inning and Yellen followed her by depositing a two-run homer over the wall in right field to extend the lead to eight runs. Pollard walked in the inning and Gigante singled.
In the fifth inning, Kwarta faced little resistance from the Grand Canyon bats, retiring the side in order with a pair of strikeouts to end the game with a 9-1 San Diego State victory.
THE NOTE I
Jade Ignacio became the first Aztec to lead off a game with a home run since Lala Macario hit her lone homer in the Scarlet and Black to start things off against Bethune-Cookman on February 23, 2024, in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
THE NOTE II
Gabriella Terrones was hit by a pitch for the eighth time this season, moving into a tie with Shannon Cunningham (2025), Alyssa Garcia (2024) and Amber Grahlman (2002) for the third-most in program history. Only Shelby Thompson (2021) and Sydnee Cable (2014) have been hit more times in a season, 14 times each, during the time that the stat has been tracked (since 1981).
STAT OF THE DAY
San Diego State handed Grand Canyon its first run-rule loss and largest margin of defeat of the season so far.
UP NEXT
San Diego State wraps up its home slate with a three-game series against Boise State next weekend. The game on Friday will start at 6 p.m. and is Aztec Arcade night. Saturday is the Pride game and features a headband giveaway with a 4 p.m. start time. The game on Sunday starts at noon and is Senior Day.
San Diego State 9, Grand Canyon 1
Grand Canyon (43-6, 16-3) 010 00 – 1 3 0
San Diego State (22-22, 7-12) 160 2X – 9 7 0
W – Kwarta, 6-5; L – Vickers, 11-3
HR: Ignacio, SDSU (5); Yellen, SDSU (4)