March 18, 2016
Santee, Calif. - In its first two games of the San Diego Classic II Tournament, the San Jose State softball team (9-16) pounded the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 12-3 after falling to the Ohio State Buckeyes 8-3 in their tournament opener.
SAN JOSE STATE 12, UC SANTA BARBARA 3
Brittany Abacherli slammed her team-leading sixth home run of the year to lead off the game and Anissa Pinedo's three run shot in the fifth put it out of reach as the Spartans cruised to a 12-3 victory over UCSB.
Abacherli (2-for-4, R, 3RBI) took Gauchos' starter Ashley Ludlow's third pitch of the game and sent it out over the left field fence for a 1-0 lead.
SJSU added three more in the top of the second. With two on and nobody out, Taylor Purdy (2-for-2, 2R, RBI) singled in a run. Alyssa Avila (1-for-3, 2RBI) followed Purdy with a single to center, which added two more runs and staked the Spartans to a 4-0 lead.
In the circle, Chantelle Ladner struck out a season-high six batters and walked none in earning her team-leading fourth win of the year. Six of the seven hits she allowed came in the first two innings. In the first she had runners at second and third with one out, but got a strikeout and a fly out to end the threat.
In the second, UCSB strung together four singles and a Spartan error to plate three runs and cut the San Jose State lead to 4-3. But from that point on Ladner (4-6) befuddled the Gauchos' batters allowing just one hit, a single, and retiring the last 14 she faced.
The score remained 4-3 into the fifth. With two outs and runners on first and second, Pinedo (1-for-3, R, 4RBI) pounded an opposite field shot, her second homer of the year, giving SJSU a 7-3 lead.
San Jose State had the bases loaded with no outs in the sixth and Casey Watt at the plate. Watt drove a ball into foul territory down the right field line, which was caught for an out. Emma Entzminger tagged from third and tried to score, but was cut down at the plate. A big inning looked to be squandered, but Abacherli, the next batter, salvaged the frame with a two-RBI single to increase the lead to 9-3.
In the seventh SJSU tagged on three more runs. Pinedo and Entzminger each drove in one for the final score of 12-3.
The Spartans made the most of their opportunities. They had 12 hits, scored 12 runs and left just two runners on base.
San Jose State 12, UC Santa Barbara 3 (Mar 18, 2016 at Santee, Calif.)
San Jose State...... 130 032 3 - 12 12 1 (9-16)
UC Santa Barbara.... 030 000 0 - 3 7 1 (13-12)
Pitchers: San Jose State - Ladner, Chantelle and Avila, Alyssa. UC Santa Barbara - Ludlow, Ashley; Mayer, Lena(2); Puente, Claudia(6); Gulvin, Veronika(6) and Stark, Samantha.
Win-LADNER, Chantelle(4-6) Loss-Ludlow, Ashley(4-4) T-2:19 A-75
HR SJ - Abacherli, Brittany; Pinedo, Anissa.
Ludlow, A faced 4 batters in the 2nd.
Mayer, L faced 1 batter in the 6th.
Puente, C faced 2 batters in the 6th.
OHIO STATE 8, SAN JOSE STATE 3
As well as the Spartans took advantage of their opportunities against UCSB they didn't do the same against Ohio State.
SJSU had six hits and six walks against two Buckeyes' pitchers, but could only produce three runs.
In the second they had two runners on with one out, but couldn't push a run across. In the third they again had two on with one out, but could only manage a Pinedo RBI single and a 1-0 lead.
Starter Katelyn Linford cruised through the first three innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth. Ohio State used a hit batter and a pair of singles and a double to score three runs and take a 3-1 lead.
The Spartans got two of the runs back in the top of the fifth. After Watt reached on a throwing error to open the inning, Brittany Abacherli doubled her in. Four batters later, with the bases loaded and one out, Alyssa Martinez plated a run on a fielders choice to even the score at 3-3, but SJSU wouldn't get any more.
The Buckeyes came right back in the bottom of the inning and retook the lead with four runs on three hits. They tacked on one more in the sixth and won the game 8-3.
Linford went 3.1 innings and allowed three runs and left with the game tied 3-3. Collette Riggs (1-2) came on in relief, went one inning, allowed two runs and took the loss.
Ohio State 8, San Jose State 3 (Mar 18, 2016 at Santee, Calif.)
San Jose State...... 001 020 0 - 3 6 1 (8-16)
Ohio State.......... 000 341 X - 8 9 1 (13-7)
Pitchers: San Jose State - Linford, Katelyn; RIGGS, Colette(4); ROGERS, Emily(5) and Avila, Alyssa. Ohio State - Hursh, Shelby; Ray, Morgan(5) and Prantl, Cammi.
Win-Ray, Morgan(1-1) Loss-RIGGS, Collette(1-2) T-2:22 A-75
Hursh faced 3 batters in the 5th.
SJSU continues play in the tournament on Saturday with two more games. The Spartans will play Weber State at 11:30 a.m. and Illinios at 4:30 p.m.