March 22, 2015
San Jose, Calif. - The San José State softball team completed a three-game sweep of the Boise State Broncos with its third straight run-rule win, 9-0 in five innings on Sunday, at SJSU Field.
In three games the Spartans (22-11, 3-0 MW) pounded out 30 hits, scored 26 runs while striking out just six times. The pitching was equally impressive. San José State pitchers surrendered a run in the first inning of Friday's opener and then shut out the Broncos for 16 straight frames. In three games SJSU's pitching staff gave up just nine hits, three in each game, and had two complete game shutouts.
The 26 runs are the most by a Spartans team in a three-game conference sweep since 2010, when that team pushed 28 across in a sweep at Nevada. The single run allowed in a three-game conference sweep is the best in team history. It betters the 2005 regular-season conference finale against Louisiana Tech. In that series, SJSU surrendered three runs in three games.
The series also marks the first time San José State has swept a three-game conference series by three run-rule victories.
On Sunday, senior Allison Lang earned her sixth win of the year pitching 5.0 innings. She had a no-hitter through three and two thirds and to that point her only blemish was a second inning walk. A two-out single up the middle in the top of the fourth ended the no-hit bid.
Offensively, San José State scored early and often. For the third game in a row the team put up a three spot in the bottom of the first.
Michelle Cox led off the day with a bunt single. Two batters later Jessie Hufstetler, who entered Sunday 6-for-7 with four runs and three RBI in the first two games of the series, was walked on four pitches. It was the first of three walks she would be issued on the day after Boise State choose to pick its poison elsewhere in the Spartans line up.
Broncos (8-25, 0-3 MW) starter Rachel Rodriguez (3-13) loaded the bases with one out for Alyssa Martinez. She singled in the first run of the game and the first of four she would knock in on the day. Two batters later Rodriguez walked in the second run after a nine-pitch at bat against Taylor Purdy. With the bases still loaded, Daisy Conchas was hit by a pitch making it a 3-0 lead.
After batting around in the first, Cox (2-for-3, 2 R) started the second with a single up the middle. She stole second, her seventh steal of the year, and was driven in by a Jessica Madrid (2-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 R) single down the right field line. Hufstetler was walked on four pitches and Sharon-Renae Estrada was hit to load them up. Martinez lofted a sacrifice fly to deep center to score Madrid and make it 5-0. The Spartans had a chance to blow the game open with two on and one out, but a pair of groundouts ended the threat.
San José State broke the game open in the third. With Conchas (1-for-1, RBI) on second, Nicole Schultz on first and one out, Madrid doubled down the right field line scoring Conchas. Hufstetler was again walked to load the bases.
Estrada (1-for-2, R, RBI) drove in a run on a groundout. Martinez (2-for-2, 4 RBI) followed her to the plate and knocked in two on a single up the middle to make it 9-0 after three.
Lang (6-4) gave up a pair of hits in the fifth, but with runners on second and third and two outs induced a ground out to end the game.
The Spartans host the UOP Tigers on Wednesday at SJSU Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
San Jose State 9, Boise State 0 (Mar 22, 2015 at San Jose, Calif.)------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------Boise State......... 000 00 - 0 3 0 (8-25, 0-3 MW)San Jose State...... 324 0X - 9 8 0 (22-11, 3-0 MW)------------------------------ ------------------------------ ----------Pitchers: Boise State - RODRIGUEZ, R; McGILL, M.(2); WILSON, N.(4) and TORREZ, H.; WEIR, M..San Jose State - Lang, Allison and Conchas, Daisy.Win-LANG, Allison(6-4) Loss-RODRIGUEZ, R(3-13) T-1:34 A-159