A late San Diego State comeback fell short as Grand Canyon eliminated the Aztecs with a 9-7 win at the Los Angeles NCAA Regional in softball.
SDSU (31-20) scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh Saturday after a series of singles, then sent the tying run to the plate in the form of Mountain West Co-Player of the Year Mac Barbara, only to see GCU (49-12) intentionally walk her.
That left Alyssa Garcia to face Emily Darwin with the bases loaded. The gambit worked as the reliever induced a grounder from Garcia to end the threat and the Aztecs’ season.
SDSU had dug itself a bigger hole in the top of the frame when GCU broke open a close 5-4 game with four runs off Aztec stalwarts Allie Light and Dee Dee Hernandez.
GCU loaded the bases against Light, who took the loss, and Hernandez surrendered a single and double, then was victimized by a steal of home, part of a double steal.
The Mountain West regular season champs won the conference tournament for an automatic bid to the NCAA softball championship.
The Aztecs drew the No. 15/17 Virginia Tech Hokies to begin the double-elimination regional on Friday. They struggled to get much going against Hokies starter Emma Lemley, scratching a run across in the sixth inning, far from enough in a 5-1 defeat.