Feb. 13, 2016
Tempe, Ariz. â€" The San Jose State softball team needed a win in the young 2016 season and on Saturday morning they got is at the expense of the Virginia Cavaliers. The Spartans won 10-1 before falling 9-2 to #8 Tennessee in its final game of the Kajikawa Classic.
SJSU 10, UVA 1
A seven-run first inning was all the Spartans would need and it came courtesy of seven SJSU hits and three Virginia errors.
A pair of fielding errors sandwiched around a single loaded the bases with no outs. Jessie Hufstetler (3-for-4, 3R, RBI) then stepped to the plate and smacked a single. After a throwing error at second, the bases were cleared with Hufstetler coming around to score as well: four batters, three errors and four SJSU runs.
After the second out was recorded, the Spartans strung together three straight singles, the last an RBI shot through the left side by Casey Lester (1-for-3, R, RBI). A passed ball scored the sixth run and Brittany Abacherli's RBI single made it 7-0.
The Spartans allowed a run in the bottom of the third, but got it right back in the top of the fourth. Hufstetler hit a one-out single, moved into scoring position on a Madison Aurin flyout to center, and scored an Alyssa Martinez (2-for-3, RBI) single.
San José State picked up two more runs in the sixth on an RBI double from Hufstetler, who ended up coming around to score on a wild pitch.
In the circle, Chantelle Ladner pitched 2.2 innings. She scattered five hits and gave up one run. Ashley Penney came on in relief and picked up the first win of her college career. She tossed 3.1 innings of three-hit, shutout ball.
Kristen Heffley, starting behind the plate, was 2-for-2 with a run and Jessica Madrid went 1-for-3 and scored twice.
UT 9 SJSU 2
Three Spartans pitchers allowed a combined 11 hits and nine runs to the #8 Tennessee Volunteers in the Spartans final game of the day.
UT built a 5-0 lead after four and a half innings.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Spartans scored twice. Alexandra Luna (2-for-3) singled to open the inning. Two batters later, Brittany Abacherli (2-for-4, R, 2RBI) hammered the first homer of her college career, a two-run opposite-field shot. With two outs, Jessica Madrid (2-for-4) singled and moved to third on a Jessie Hufstetler ground-rule double. The Spartans were in business and just need a hit to cut the Volunteers' lead to a single run, but Madison Aurin struck out to end the threat.
Tennessee put the game out of reach with four runs in the top of the next inning for the final score of 9-2.
Katelyn Linford (0-3) allowed five runs on seven hits over 4.2 innings and was relieved by Ashley Penney and Collette Riggs. Penney and Riggs combined to give up four runs on four hits and five walks.