May 5, 2017
San Jose, Calif. - After two and a half innings, the San José State softball team found itself down 3-0 to Utah State, but came storming back to defeat the Aggies 7-3 in game one of a three-game series which will go a long way in determining the 2017 Mountain West Championship.
San Jose State (33-15, 13-6 MW) is now percentage points ahead of USU at the top of the Mountain West standings
The Aggies jumped on SJSU early, scoring in both the first and second innings off starter Katelyn Linford.
Utah State (32-13, 14-7 MW) got a one out triple from Jazmin Clarke, who scored on a groundout by the next batter staking Aggies to a 1-0 lead. In the second, they got a leadoff single followed by an RBI double from Riley Plogger to make it 2-0. Three batters later, Mia Maher laid down in bunt in no-man's land between the circle and first base. She beat the play at the bag driving in the second run of the inning to make it 3-0 Utah State.
The Aggies got four hits off Linford in the first two innings, but from that point on she locked them down. In the remaining five innings, Utah State managed three base runners, none of which advanced beyond first and were victims of six of Linford's nine strikeouts on the day.
Linford tossed her 15th complete game of the season and improved her record to 21-7. With nine strikeouts today, she has 177 for the season and moves into fourth place on the programs single-season list.
While Linford was controling the Aggies in the circle, the bats, which had been silent in the first two innings, came alive in the third and led to scoring in each of the next four innings.
Emma Entzminger earned a one out walk off Utah State starter Kellie White in the bottom of the third. Casey Watt followed her with a single and two batters later Madison Aurin singled perfectly down the right field line, between the right fielder and first baseman, to plate Entzminger. The Spartans trailed 3-1.
In the fourth, SJSU got three hits and two runs to tie the game 3-3.
Chelsea Jenner (1-for-4, 2R, 2B) led off with a double down the left field line. Alyssa Avila then walked and both runners moved into scoring position on a ground to the right side. Two batters later, with two outs, Entzminger (1-for-2, R, RBI, 2BB) singled through the left side to score Jenner and move Avila to third. Watt (3-for-4, R, RBI) followed Entzminger with an RBI single to right for the second run of the inning, tying the game.
In the fifth, the Spartans blew the game open. Aurin (3-for-4, 2RBI) singled and Brittany Abacherli walked to open the inning. Aurin was erased at third on a fielder's choice and following a wild pitch, both Abacherli and Jenner, who reach on the fielder's choice, moved into scoring position. Two batters later, Kristin Heffley (1-for-3, R, 2RBI, 3B) tripled driving in both runners and giving the Spartans their first lead of the day 5-3. Mackenzie Drake (1-for-3, RBI) followed Heffley with an RBI single to center to make it 6-3.
SJSU tacked on another run in the sixth. Watt singled and moved to third on Cassidy Clark's single in the team's first two at bats of the inning. Those two hits spelled the end of the day for White (17-6), who took the loss, and made way for reliever Katie Schroeder. Aurin took the second pitch Schroeder delivers and ripped it to center to score Watt to make it 7-3.
Linford, who retired the last seven batters of the game, then got a strikeout and a pair of flyouts in the seventh to end the game.
Game two of the series is scheduled for noon on Saturday.
San Jose State 7, Utah State 3 (May 05, 2017 at Santa Clara, Calif.)
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Utah State.......... 120 000 0 - 3 6 0 (32-13, 14-7 MW)
San Jose State...... 001 231 X - 7 11 1 (33-15, 13-6 MW)
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Pitchers: Utah State - WHITE, Kelli; SCHROEDER, K(6) and BUTTACAVOLI,. San Jose State -
Linford, Katelyn and Avila, Alyssa.
Win-LINFORD, Katelyn(21-7) Loss-WHITE, Kelli(17-6) T-2:11 A-138
Weather: sunny
WHITE, Kelli faced 2 batters in the 6th.
Game: US-SJ1