Feb. 12, 2016
Tempe, Ariz. - San Jose State's softball team (0-4), which had been held scoreless in a pair of games on Thursday, broke through on Friday with 15 hits and 13 runs in two games at the Kajikawa Classic. While the offense came alive, the team could not crack the win column, falling 4-3 to Boston College and 14-10 to Oregon State on day two of the Kajikawa Classic.
"I was never concerned that this team wouldn't hit," head coach Peter Turner said, "but we have to be successful in all three phases of the game if we are going to win. If we are hitting it seems that we have breakdowns on defense or with our pitching and vice versa."
BOSTON COLLEGE 4, SAN JOSÉ STATE 3
The Spartans scored three runs in the second inning to break a 0-0 tie.
Emma Entzminger led off the inning with a walk. After a strikeout, an Entzminger stolen base and Alyssa Avila was hit by a pitch, the SJSU had runners on first and second. Brittany Abacherli smacked an RBI single to right scoring Entzminger. Avila and Abacherli each took an extra base on the throw home.
An illegal pitch then plated Avila and moved Abacherli to third. Alyssa Martinez ripped a shot up the middle bringing home Abacherli for a 3-0 lead after two. It was a good start, but the Spartans would get just three more hits in the game.
BC got a run back on bases loaded walk in the third and tied the game on a two-run homer in the fourth.
The go ahead run for the Eagles came in the fifth. With two outs and a runner on third, Spartans' starter Katelyn Linford was lifted in favor of Ashley Penney. Penney got the ground ball, which should have ended the threat and stranded the runner, but Entzminger committed an error at third on the play, which allowed the winning run to score.
Linford (0-2) went 4.2 innings allowing five hits and all four runs. Penney tossed 2.1 hitless innings.
Abacherli (1-for-3, R, RBI, SB) and Martinez (1-for-4, RBI) paced the Spartans offense.
OREGON STATE 14, SAN JOSÉ STATE 10
SJSU spotted the Beavers seven runs in the top of the first and were in chase mode the rest of the game.
Starter Chantelle Ladner lasted only two-thirds of an inning giving up four hits, two walks and six runs. Ashley Penney was brought in, but could not duplicate her performance from the Boston College game. She faced four batters, gave up two hits, two walks and a run. The third pitcher of the inning was Collette Riggs who induced a pop up to end the inning.
"Chantelle's ball was up and Oregon State jumped on it," Turner said. "With the schedule we have, the most difficult in my 10 years, we can't afford to miss like that. Teams will be all over those pitches like Oregon State was. I hoped Penny would be able to stop the bleeding, but just didn't have it and I got her out of there pretty quickly. I was very happy with the job Collette did. Her numbers are misleading if you just look at her stats line. She threw well and kept us in the game until the end. Unfortunately, in the seventh inning when she ran into trouble, I just didn't have anyone else to go to."
In the second the Spartans got three runs back. With two out and runners on first and third, Taylor Purdy doubled in SJSU's first run. Brittany Abacherli then cleared the bases with a two-RBI double to make it 7-3.
In the top of the fourth Oregon State added two runs to make it 9-3 where it remained until the bottom of the fifth.
With two on in the fifth, Madison Aurin singled in a run. Two batters later, with the bases loaded, Alyssa Martinez earned a walk for the team's second run of the frame. The third run came on a throwing error by the Beavers' right fielder after she caught a fly ball. A walk loaded the bases again and after a Purdy ground out, to plate the fourth run, the score was 9-7.
In the sixth, Martinez singled to left with two on to pull the Spartans to within a run at 9-8.
But in the seventh, Oregon State scored five runs on four hits and a Spartan error.
In the bottom of the frame, Kristen Heffley singled through the right side to plate two runs, but the Spartans would get no closer.
Ladner (0-2) took the loss. Abacherli (3-for-5, R, 2RBI), Martinez (1-for-3, R, 2RBI), Purdy (1-for-3, 2R, 2RBI) and Heffley (1-for-3, 2RBI) led the offense.
SJSU wraps up play in the desert on Saturday with games against Virginia and #8 Tennessee.