Last year, when competing in the NCAA Super Regionals for the first time in program history, San Diego State's softball team mostly made it and stayed there.
The Aztecs won seven straight games in the 2023 Mountain West Tournament, NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals, but ended the season with back-to-back losses to Utah. During that winning streak, SDSU outscored its opponents 43-10.
If San Diego State wants to extend the 2024 season, it will need to get hot again. A 5-1 loss to No. 15 Virginia Tech on Friday afternoon sent the Aztecs into the loser bracket of the Los Angeles area. To get through the weekend, we need to win twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday without losing.
First up is Saturday afternoon's elimination game vs. UCLA or Grand Canyon. The game begins at 4:30 p.m. at UCLA's Easton Stadium. If SDSU wins, it will play again on Saturday night.
SDSU and Virginia Tech were tied until the bottom of the third inning. Annika Roos and Emma Ritter had back-to-back singles to chase SDSU starting pitcher Allie Wright out of the game. Reliever Dee Dee Hernandez allowed a bunt single and a sacrifice fly to give the Hokies a 1-0 lead.
VT added two runs in the fourth inning on a RBI hit by Kylie Aldridge and a scoring grounder by Loos, and also had solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Wright, a senior ace at San Diego State University, allowed hits to four of the 10 batters he faced. Cece Cerulla replaced Hernandez and allowed six hits and two earned runs in two frames.
Aztec slugger Mac Barbara scored SDSU's only run in the sixth inning with a single to right field. Otherwise, the Aztecs were stumped by Hokies ace Emma Lemley. The right-hander allowed one earned run on three hits en route to the shutout. She had six strikeouts and did not walk any batters.
San Diego State, the Mountain West regular season and tournament champion, will be making its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Softball Tournament. The Aztecs won the district tournament last year and also played at UCLA.
