LA JOLLA, California - After a marathon day on Thursday, the San Francisco State softball team bounced back to split with No. 13 UC San Diego, dropping game one 7-6 before out-dueling the Tritons in game two to win 3-1.
- SF State (13-10/10-10 CCAA) had just two baserunners through the first four innings in game one before breaking it open in the fifth with a two-out rally to score six runs. The Gators had six hits, two of which came off the bat of Katelyn Sturm, and worked two walks in the lopsided inning to take the 6-3 lead.
- Brylynn Vallejos added another steal on the day for a team-leading 19 on the year.
- Hayley Nunes went 3-for-4 in game one, Andrea Hildan and Nina Revoir each batted in a pair.
- The four wins over ranked teams this season are the most since 2014.
- Karla Soto was lights out in game two, holding the Tritons (18-6/16-5 CCAA) to just three hits over seven innings, their second-lowest total this season.
- It is the first four-game series split against a top-15 team since 2017 when they took two against No. 6 Chico.
GAME ONE
- The Tritons struck first in the first on back-to-back RBI singles to right by Sherriah Harrington' and Reynoso. Emily Mitchell struck out consecutive batters to end the inning and the threat.
- Reynoso added another RBI single in the THIRD to put the hosts up 3-0.
- In the fifth, Sturm led off with a double and pinch hitters Tianna Jacques and Lehua DeLeon each walked to load them. Vallejos reached on a fielder's choice as the Tritons got the second out at the pate, bringing up Hildan who hit a bloop single to left that scored Jacques and DeLeon to make it a one-run game. Michelle Castro singled home Vallejos to tie it up 3-3 and force the Tritons to make a pitching change. Revoir hit a sharp single to the hole at second that the second baseman made a great play to grab, but Vallejos never stopped running from second as she and Hildan scored to put the Gators up 5-3. Replaced by pinch runner Latrice Thompson, the freshman stole second and third and scored on Nunes' single to left. Sturm hit a liner to right that moved Nunes to third and force another Triton pitching change.
- UC San Diego took 7-6 lead in the bottom half, capped off by a two-run single by Kazakoff.
- Emily Mitchell got the start, going 4.2 with three strikeouts before Soto came in and allowed one hit over 1.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts.
GAME TWO
- In the first, Hildan beat out a bunt single and Castro tripled for the first run. Castro then scored on Sturm's sacrifice fly to center for the 2-0 lead.
- Hildan reached on a single with one down in the third, and worked her way to third on Castro's deep fly to center that was dropped by the centerfielder. Sturm hit a chopper to second that short-hopped the second basemen and skipped away, allowing Hildan to score for the 3-0 lead.
- UC San Diego got on the board in the fourth on Harrington's RBI single to center.
- Soto got her seventh start of the season, going all seven while holding the Tritons to just three hits in a lights out performance.
SF State returns home next weekend against Cal State Dominguez Hills. Live stats will be provided.
