Weber State University Athletics
Friday, March 11
San Diego, CA
1:00 PM MT
Weber State University
18-5
4
vs
3
San Diego State
14-10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
R
H
E
Weber State
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
4
6
1
San Diego State
1
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
3
8
4
Photo by: Robert Casey
Wildcats Split Friday Doubleheader Against Aztecs, Matadors
3/11/2022 7:22:00 PM | Softball
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Weber State softball team split its two games on Saturday, beating San Diego State 4-3 and then falling to CSUN 1-0.
After losing to the Aztecs on Thursday, the Cats came out with focus and determination to get on the board early in the first inning. The team's spark plug, Katelyn Whiting, walked on a full count and advanced to second on a passed ball. When Faith Hoe singled, Whiting advanced to third, and scored on when Hoe stole second and the throw sailed into the outfield. WSU took a 1-0 lead, but the Aztecs answered in the bottom of the first with a run of their own.
Both teams remained scoreless until the fifth inning when WSU struck again. With two outs and nobody on, Makayla Donahoo walked on four consecutive pitches to give the Cats a runner. Mia Rushton sent a single into the outfield moving Donahoo all the way over to third base. With runners on the corners, Rushton took off for second base and a throwing error brought Donahoo to the plate to give the Wildcats a 2-1 advantage.
The Cats extended their lead in the top of the sixth inning. Faith Hoe reached on an error with one out and advanced to second. A passed ball allowed Hoe to move up a base, and she came home on a fielder's choice which moved the score to 3-1.
Arissa Henderson, the starting pitcher for Weber State, held the Aztecs in check all the way up to the sixth inning when SDSU hit a two-run home run to tie the ball game at three.
Both teams put runners on in the seventh, but neither team was able to capitalize, and for the first time this season the Wildcats went to extra innings.
In the extra frame, with a runner automatically placed on second base, the speedy Whiting was able to come home on a Henderson single to the outfield which gave the Wildcats a 4-3 lead that they held throughout the remainder of the game.
In the bottom of the eighth, SDSU moved their runner to third base with one out. Weber State brought the infield in and on a grounder the Wildcats threw the ball home and caught the runner at the plate. With two outs, Henderson stuck the final batter of the game out and the Wildcats won a 4-3 thriller to start the day in sunny San Diego. Henderson, the pitcher of record, stays undefeated on the year with a 7-0 record.
The Cats took the field shortly thereafter to square off against CSUN in the two schools' first meeting against each other since 2020.
Mariah Ramirez was stupendous in her start in the circle for WSU. She threw a complete game, four hitter and only surrendered one run on the day while throwing eight strikeouts, but the Wildcat bats weren't able to provide the run support that she needed to extend the ball game.
With two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, the Cats had an opportunity to walk the game off, but didn't get the clutch hit that the was requisite to extend or win the game, and the Cats fell 1-0 against the Matadors.
After the Friday doubleheader, the Wildcat record moved to 18-6 on the season. Weber State softball takes to the diamond on Saturday for another doubleheader against CSUN at 10 AM MT, and will then close out the long California road trip with a 12:30 PM MT game against the tournament host San Diego Toreros.
After losing to the Aztecs on Thursday, the Cats came out with focus and determination to get on the board early in the first inning. The team's spark plug, Katelyn Whiting, walked on a full count and advanced to second on a passed ball. When Faith Hoe singled, Whiting advanced to third, and scored on when Hoe stole second and the throw sailed into the outfield. WSU took a 1-0 lead, but the Aztecs answered in the bottom of the first with a run of their own.
Both teams remained scoreless until the fifth inning when WSU struck again. With two outs and nobody on, Makayla Donahoo walked on four consecutive pitches to give the Cats a runner. Mia Rushton sent a single into the outfield moving Donahoo all the way over to third base. With runners on the corners, Rushton took off for second base and a throwing error brought Donahoo to the plate to give the Wildcats a 2-1 advantage.
The Cats extended their lead in the top of the sixth inning. Faith Hoe reached on an error with one out and advanced to second. A passed ball allowed Hoe to move up a base, and she came home on a fielder's choice which moved the score to 3-1.
Arissa Henderson, the starting pitcher for Weber State, held the Aztecs in check all the way up to the sixth inning when SDSU hit a two-run home run to tie the ball game at three.
Both teams put runners on in the seventh, but neither team was able to capitalize, and for the first time this season the Wildcats went to extra innings.
In the extra frame, with a runner automatically placed on second base, the speedy Whiting was able to come home on a Henderson single to the outfield which gave the Wildcats a 4-3 lead that they held throughout the remainder of the game.
In the bottom of the eighth, SDSU moved their runner to third base with one out. Weber State brought the infield in and on a grounder the Wildcats threw the ball home and caught the runner at the plate. With two outs, Henderson stuck the final batter of the game out and the Wildcats won a 4-3 thriller to start the day in sunny San Diego. Henderson, the pitcher of record, stays undefeated on the year with a 7-0 record.
The Cats took the field shortly thereafter to square off against CSUN in the two schools' first meeting against each other since 2020.
Mariah Ramirez was stupendous in her start in the circle for WSU. She threw a complete game, four hitter and only surrendered one run on the day while throwing eight strikeouts, but the Wildcat bats weren't able to provide the run support that she needed to extend the ball game.
With two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, the Cats had an opportunity to walk the game off, but didn't get the clutch hit that the was requisite to extend or win the game, and the Cats fell 1-0 against the Matadors.
After the Friday doubleheader, the Wildcat record moved to 18-6 on the season. Weber State softball takes to the diamond on Saturday for another doubleheader against CSUN at 10 AM MT, and will then close out the long California road trip with a 12:30 PM MT game against the tournament host San Diego Toreros.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Henderson, Arissa (7-0)
L: BALINT, Maggie (7-4)
Batting:
RBI: Henderson, Arissa 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Whiting, Katelyn 2 ; Hoe, Faith 1 ; Donahoo, Makayla 1
SB: Rushton, Mia 1 ; Hoe, Faith 1
Batting:
2B: BARBARA, Mac 1
HR: MURPHY, AJ 1
RBI: BARBARA, Mac 1 ; MURPHY, AJ 2
SH: ESPINOZA, Bella 1 ; ADAMS, Taylor 1 ; MURPHY, AJ 1
Base Running:
RUNS: CELIS, Jillian 1 ; SCHULTZ, Alexa 1 ; MURPHY, AJ 1
SB: SIESS, Nicole 1 ; KULL, Audrey 1 ; WHATMAN, Shaylan 1
CS: ESPINOZA, Bella 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
MI
/ SoftballP/1B
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballBeyond the Bases: Episode 1
Thursday, September 11
NCAA Regionals Highlights
Tuesday, May 20
NCAA Tournament post-game press conference
Monday, May 19
Softball Big Sky Tournament Highlights
Wednesday, May 14