ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. \u2013 The San Diego State softball team (18-15, 3-5 Mountain West) came up short in both games of its doubleheader against New Mexico (15-18, 3-5 MW) on Saturday, falling 9-5 and 7-4.<\/p>\n
During the first game of the day, New Mexico got on the board in the first inning. Briana Williams led off with a walk and stole second and third base. DeNae Vasquez-Dickson followed her with another walk and a stolen base. The Lobos loaded the bases when Miracle McKenzie walked. Faith Jordan<\/a> entered the circle and got the next three batters to fly out but the first two were deep enough to serve as sacrifice flies and New Mexico took a 2-0 lead into the second inning.<\/p>\n On her birthday, Jade Ignacio<\/a> singled to lead off the second. Three batters later, Olivia Gigante<\/a> hit a two-run homer to center field to tie the game. Kaila Pollard<\/a> singled and Kiara Cisneros<\/a> walked in the inning to threaten more runs, but the Aztecs were unable to get ahead. Jordan finished a scoreless second inning with a strikeout.<\/p>\n Shortstop Quinn Waiki<\/a> walked and stole a base in the third inning. However, New Mexico rallied in the bottom of the inning. Vasquez-Dickson led off with a double and McKenzie was hit by a pitch. Vasquez-Dickson scored on an error and the next hitter, Allie Williams, hit a three-run homer. Following a groundout, Melanie Macias singled to right and Jasmyn Lloyd hit a two-run home run to center to make it 8-2 Lobos. Ava Schaffel<\/a> entered the circle and retired the next two hitters to finally end the inning.<\/p>\n The Aztecs trimmed the deficit in the fourth. Emma French<\/a> led off with a single and Pollard launched a two-run homer over the bleachers in right field to make it a four-run game. Cisneros walked again. The first two Lobos reached base in the bottom of the inning, but Schaffel retired the next three hitters to keep them from scoring.<\/p>\n Waiki led off the top of the fifth with a double and moved up to third base on an error by the right fielder on the play. She crossed the plate when Jazmin Williams<\/a> hit a sacrifice fly to right field. Schaffel had another scoreless inning in the bottom of the frame.<\/p>\n Pollard doubled and Macario singled in the sixth, but the Aztecs were unable to produce any runs. New Mexico added an insurance run on a McKenzie homer.<\/p>\n Ignacio lined a base hit back up the middle in the seventh and advanced into scoring position but was stranded there as New Mexico finished off a 9-5 win.<\/p>\n SDSU\u2019s bats started out hot in the second game. Lala Macario<\/a> bunted for a single on the second pitch of the game and scored on a two-out double by Pollard into the gap in left center field. The Lobos responded in the bottom of the inning. Briana Williams was hit by a pitch and advanced to third base before scoring on a ground ball. Allie Williams doubled and Gabrielle Briones walked while Williams moved up on a wild pitch. Both runners advanced on a double steal and Briones went to third base on an error but was thrown out after overrunning the base to end the inning.<\/p>\n Matti Kwarta<\/a> faced the minimum in the second inning including a pair of strikeouts.<\/p>\n In the third inning, the Aztecs went back on top. Cisneros was hit by a pitch to start things and Macario singled to second base. Ignacio knocked in Cisneros with a single through the left side. Following a Pollard walk, Gigante hit a sacrifice fly to center field to bring Macario home and give the Aztecs a 3-2 lead. New Mexico went back on top in the bottom of the frame. Jewels Hanawahine led off with a walk. Briana Williams took her spot at first base on a fielder\u2019s choice. She moved up to second on a wild pitch before scoring on a single by Vasquez-Dickson. Following a McKenzie walk, Kwarta struck out Allie Williams. Briones walked to load the bases for Jessica DeLeon, who knocked in Vasquez-Dickson with a single up the middle. McKenzie scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3 New Mexico before new pitcher Key-annah Pu\u2019a<\/a> retired the first hitter she faced to end the inning.<\/p>\n Pu\u2019a allowed a walk but nothing more in the fourth inning.<\/p>\n Waiki homered in the top of the fifth to trim the deficit to a run. The next hitter, Pollard, tripled to left center field, but was stranded on third base. McKenzie singled to begin the bottom of the inning. Following a Pu\u2019a strikeout of Allie Williams, Briones hit a two-run homer to center field to stretch the lead back out to three runs. Candace Tarle<\/a> entered the circle with two outs and a runner on first base and struck out Ella Dawson to end the inning.<\/p>\n