SAN DIEGO – No. 24 San Diego State swept a pair of games on Saturday night at SDSU Softball Stadium, including a 2-1 victory over previously unbeaten and 25th-ranked Kentucky. The Aztecs (2-2) opened with a 2-1 win over the Wildcats (3-1) before beating UC Santa Barbara, 6-1, in the nightcap.
In the opener, Mac Barbara hit a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the third inning to put SDSU in the lead and Allie Light pitched four scoreless innings of relief to pick up her first win of the season.
UK, which has picked up two wins over No. 3/3 Stanford this weekend and another victory over Minnesota, took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third when Eric Coffel doubled in Jenna Blanton. With no outs and two runners in scoring position. San Diego State freshman starting pitcher Cece Cellura got Peyton Plotts to line out to second base, where Micaela Macario almost tagged the runner on second for the double play. On the very next pitch, Rylea Smith flew out to shallow center field, where Macey Keester rifled a throw to catcher Cali Decker, who tagged Vanessa Nesby at the plate for the inning-ending double play.
The Aztecs responded in the bottom of the third as Katie Goldberg led off with a single to right field. It appeared Goldberg was going to be stranded at first base after Keester fouled out and Bella Espinoza lined out, both to Grace Lorsung at third base. Micaela Macario struck out swinging, but advanced to first on a passed ball. Goldberg and Macario each moved up a base on a wild pitch before Barbara ripped a 1-2 pitch to center field to give SDSU a lead it would not relinquish.
Light (1-0) entered in the fourth and worked around four hits and a walk over four innings, striking out three while stranding seven Kentucky runners. Cellura, pitching in her first career game and earning her first start, gave up one run on four hits and no walks over three innings, striking out one.
Light and Cellura stranded nine Wildcats in the game, and held Kentucky to just a 3-for-15 outing with runners on base and 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Barbara, Goldberg and Macario had San Diego State’s hits in the game, while Alyssa Garcia reached via walk.
In the nightcap, the Aztecs surpassed their run and hit total from the first three games of the season with six runs and 12 hits in a 6-1 win over the Gauchos (0-4).
Barbara homered, singled, had two RBIs, a run and a walk to pace the SDSU offense, while four others – Goldberg (2 RBI, SF), Keester (RBI, R), Macario (RBI, R, 3B) and AJ Murphy – added two hits apiece.
UCSB tied San Diego State with an infield single by Elicia Acosta in the bottom of the first but the Aztecs scored the final five runs of the game.
Garcia (1B, BB) and Angie Yellen (2-for-3, 2 R, BB) also reached twice for SDSU, which went 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position and 7-for-19 with runners on base.
Cellura gave up one run on two hits and no walks over two innings as the starter, striking out two. Dee Dee Hernandez pitched a scoreless four innings of relief, striking out four with three hits and no walks allowed. Hernandez got the win and is now 1-1 on the year. Cassidy West hit the first batter she faced in the seventh but retired the next three in order with two strikeouts.
THE NOTE
RHP Allie Light has pitched 12 1/3 scoreless innings this season with just nine hits allowed (.191 average).
THE NOTE II
In the nightcap, San Diego State outhit UC Santa Barbara, 12-5, making it 13 consecutive victories when outhitting its opponent.
STAT OF THE DAY
Despite playing games in the opening weekend against Stanford (No. 3 in last year’s final RPI), Minnesota (No. 28), Kentucky (No. 29) and UC Santa Barbara, the Aztec pitching staff went 2-2 with a 1.75 ERA in 28 innings, striking out 25 against three walks and limiting the opposition to a .263 average.
UP NEXT
SDSU plays at San Diego at 5 p.m. PT Wednesday.
Game 1: No. 24/rv San Diego State 2, No. 25/rv Kentucky 1
Kentucky (3-1) 001 000 0 — 1 8 0
San Diego State 002 000 x — 2 3 2
Langdon and Hamilton; Cellura, Light (4) and Decker
W – Light, 1-0; L – Langdon, 0-1
Game 2: No. 24/rv San Diego State 6, UC Santa Barbara 1
San Diego State (2-2) 110 211 0 — 6 12 0
UC Santa Barbara (0-4) 100 000 0 — 1 5 1
Cellura, Hernandez (3), West (7) and Decker, Garcia (4); Snyder, Stoll (4), McCoskey (5) and Donaldson
W – Hernandez, 1-1; L – Snyder, 0-2
HR: San Diego State, Barbara (1)
Other Saturday Scores at the San Diego State Season Kickoff
No. 25/rv Kentucky 3, No. 3/3 Stanford 2 (8 inn.)
No. 3/3 Stanford 3, Minnesota 0
Minnesota 4, UC Santa Barbara 3
