May 2, 2015
San Jose, Calif. -- Senior Sharon-Renae Estrada hammered a two-run home run, her ninth of the season, to cap a six-run fifth inning in San José State's 8-4 victory over the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday afternoon at SJSU Field.
Estrada, one of seven seniors who were honored after the game, crushed an 0-2 pitch, depositing it over the left field fence. It was one of a game-high three RBIs for the San Bernardino, Calif., native.
Trailing 4-2, the inning began with a pair of walks sandwiched around a single from senior Michelle Cox (2-for-4, R). With the bases loaded, Jessie Hufstetler (1-for-2, RBI, R) was hit by a pitch and drove in a run to make it a 4-3 game. That run spelled the end of the day for Nevada starter Megan Dortch.
McKenna Isenberg came in for the Wolf Pack and surrendered a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 4-4. Erin Rodriguez then drove a 1-1 pitch to right center for a bases-clearing two-RBI double and a 6-4 Spartans lead. That set the stage for Estrada's home run which made it 8-4.
Madison Fish, another San José State senior, started in the circle and tossed six and a third innings. She scattered seven hits, allowing four runs and struck out five to improve her record to 15-5.
Nevada's Dortch surrendered four hits through the first three innings allowing just one runner to get into scoring position before being tagged for a total of six runs in the loss.
The Wolf Pack offense jumped on Fish from the start. They opened with back-to-back doubles to plate their first run. After a wild pitch moved the runner from second to third, an RBI groundout put the Spartans in a 2-0 hole.
In the fourth, Nevada added a run on a bases loaded a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.
In the bottom of the inning the Spartans broke through. Back-to-back walks to open the frame put runners on first and second with no outs. Erin Rodriguez (1-for-3, 2 RBIs, R) hit what appeared to be tailor made double play ball to Nevada second baseman Karley Hopkins. But Hopkins' backhand exchange was out of the reach of shortstop Megan Sweet and it rolled into left field.
Cecilia Alvarez, who entered as a pinch runner and was on second base, roared home to put the Spartans on the board. When the dust settled, Alyssa Martinez ended up on third and Rodriguez was at first.
Estrada then fouled out to the third baseman. Martinez, seeing that the Nevada catcher went after Estrada's foul ball as well and nobody was covering the plate raced home to make it 3-2.
The Wolf Pack got a run back in the top of the fifth on Sweet's solo home run making it 4-2. That was the last scoring Nevada would get and the Spartans put the game away with six in the bottom of the frame.
After the game Spartan seniors Estrada, Cox, Fish, Allison Lang, who got the final two outs of the game, Nicole Schultz (1-for-2, R), Kryn Masutani and Marissa Toy were honored in a ceremony on the Deanna Mauer Memorial Patio.
The teams will play the rubber game on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. It will be the Spartans final home appearance of the 2015 season.
San Jose State 8, Nevada 4 (May 2, 2015 at San Jose, Calif.)
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Nevada.............. 200 110 0 - 4 7 1 (15-34, 5-15 MW)
San Jose State...... 000 260 X - 8 7 0 (34-18, 14-6 MW)
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Pitchers: Nevada - DORTCH, M; ISENBERG, M(5) and NICHOLAS, A.
San Jose State - Fish, Madison; LANG, Allison(7) and Entzminger, Emma.
Win-FISH, Madison(15-5) Loss-DORTCH, M(5-12) T-1:48 A-259
HR NV - SWEET, M (10).
HR SJ - ESTRADA, Sharon-Rena (9).