April 9, 2016
Logan, Utah - The San Jose State softball team saw the Utah State Aggies bang out 14 hits and hand the Spartans an 8-6 loss on Saturday afternoon.
Spartans' starter Chantelle Ladner gave up nine hits and five earned runs to Aggies batters in 2.2 innings. Among four hits and three first-inning runs, Utah State got an RBI double and a pair of RBI singles to take a 3-0 lead.
The Spartans (17-19, 6-2 MW) struck right back with four runs in the top of the second. Alyssa Martinez (1-for-4 R, RBI HR) led off with a solo shot to left. It is her first home run of the season.
A walk followed by a double off the bat of Taylor Purdy put two more in scoring position. Alexandra Luna (1-for-2, R, 3 RBI, HR) drove in both base runners and herself on a 2-2 pitch, which she absolutely crushed over the fence in left center. It's the first home run of her college career and put SJSU in front 4-3.
Utah State (17-14, 5-3 MW) tied it at 4-4 on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning and retook the lead 5-4 on another sac fly in its half of the third. Ladner faced one more batter, but gave up and single which spelled the end of her day. Katelyn Linford came on in relief and induced a lineout to end the inning.
With the bases loaded and one out in the fourth, Casey Watt hit a sacrifice fly to right to tie it at 5-5. Jessica Madrid (1-for-3, RBI) followed Watt with an RBI single to short, which gave SJSU a 6-5 lead.
In the Aggies fourth, Linford struck out the first batter she faced and got an apparent ground out to short from the second batter. But Emma Entzminger's throw pulled Jessie Hufstetler off the bag at first, allowing the runner to reach on an error.
Linford struck out the next batter and should have been out of the inning, but a double and home run from the next two batters plated three unearned runs. The Spartans trailed 8-6 after four complete.
SJSU went down in order in the fifth and sixth innings, but opened the seventh with a single from Kristen Heffley. A strike out and a hit batsman, Hufstetler, put runners on first and second with one away. Martinez then lined out to right. Heffley tagged up and advanced a base. Hufstetler, attempting to do the same, ran into a double play at second to end the game.
Linford (3-8) was the hard luck loser pitching 3.1 innings, scattering five hits and striking out five while giving up three unearned runs. Utah State's April Brown (6-3) was the winner. She went 3.2 innings, allowed just two hits and no runs.
The series wraps up on Sunday, with a rubber game. First pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m. (MT).
Utah State 8, San Jose State 6 (Apr 09, 2016 at Logan, Utah)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
San Jose State...... 040 200 0 - 6 7 1 (17-18, 6-2 MW)
Utah State.......... 311 300 0 - 8 14 0 (17-14, 5-3 MW)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: San Jose State - Ladner, Chantelle; LINFORD, Katelyn(3) and . Utah State - SCHROEDER, Katie; BROWN, April(4) and .
Win-BROWN, April(6-3) Loss-LINFORD, Katelyn(3-8) T-2:00 A-294
HR SJ - MARTINEZ, Aylssa (1); Luna, Alexandra (1).
HR US - JARAMILLO, Sarina (1).
Weather: 60 degrees, overcast