SDSU SOFTBALL SHUTS OUT NEW MEXICO 8-0 FOR SERIES SWEEP

Peres homers twice as Aztecs win fifth straight game

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

April 15, 2017 (San Diego) - Jenavee Peres (Garden Grove, Calif.) homered twice and Erica Romero (Corona, Calif.) tossed a five-hit shutout to lift San Diego State to an 8-0, six-inning win over New Mexico Saturday at SDSU Softball Stadium. If was the fifth consecutive victory for the Aztecs (23-14, 7-5 MW), who swept the series with the Lobos (19-18, 5-7 MW) by a combined score of 22-3.

Peres had a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning and a two-run homer in the sixth. She finished the weekend with three home runs and now has 12 this season and 30 for her career. The junior catcher also scored three runs and was hit by a pitch.

SDSU broke open a scoreless game with four runs in the fourth on five hits, first loading the bases with no outs on a single by Katie Byrd (Santee, Calif./West Hills HS), a hit by pitch by Peres and a seven-pitch walk by Molly Sturdivant (Santa Ana, Calif.). Sydnee Cable (Huntington Beach, Calif.) then ripped a single up the middle to score a pair of runs. Shelby Thompson (Benicia, Calif.) later reached on an infield single to plate Cable and scored on a single by Kiera Wright (Riverside, Calif.).

Peres then homered in back-to-back at-bats, also scoring Byrd in the fifth and Meshack in the sixth to complete San Diego State’s second straight run-rule win.

Byrd (two runs), Cable (two RBIs, run) and Jaylene Ignacio (Oceanside, Calif./El Camino HS) joined Peres with two hits apiece as all nine Aztecs in the lineup had at least one hit. Meshack and Wright (RBI) also reached twice with a single and a walk.

The offense was plenty for Romero (7-3) as the senior right-hander tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just five hits (all singles) and a walk. She struck out five, posting her second solo shutout of the year and eighth of her career.

SDSU begins a brutal stretch to close the MW campaign with three road trips in four weeks Friday at Boise State.

Notes:

• San Diego State won its 28^th consecutive game when scoring at least eight runs (11-0 this year)
• The Aztecs also improved to 20-2 this year when outhitting its opponent, 12-2 in five-run games, 6-1 in run-rule games, 23-4 when leading at any point in the game, 12-3 when leading after five innings, 15-4 when scoring first, 15-6 in single-game days and 4-2 in shutouts
• SDSU is also 16-5 when it homers at least once (7-9 when it is homerless)
• San Diego State, which came into the weekend ranked fourth in the country out of 291 teams with a .349 average, has double-digit hits in 21 of the team’s 37 games this year 
• Peres had multiple homers in the same game for the third time of her career (second time this season)
• Peres now leads the team in multi-hit games (16), multi-RBI games (10, tied) and multi-run games (9)
• Peres moved into sixth (tied) on the Aztec single-season list in runs (39), eighth in home runs (12) and ninth (tied) in RBIs (41) 
• Byrd had her 13^th multi-hit game 
• Cable recorded her 14^th multi-hit game (second on team) and 10^th multi-RBI game (tied for first on team) 
• Ignacio posted her 10^th multi-hit game
• Meshack reached base safely for the 16^th straight game, extending the longest streak of her career 
• Romero passed Christina Ross (2006-08) into second place on the school’s all-time list for games started by a pitcher (97)

San Diego State 8, New Mexico 0 (6 innings)

New Mexico (19-18, 5-7 MW)                  000 000 -- 0 5 0

San Diego State (23-14, 7-5 MW)             000 422 -- 8 13 0

McPherson, Fortner (4) and Johnson; Romero and Peres

W - Romero, 7-3; L - McPherson, 8-9

HR: San Diego State, Peres 2 (12)

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