March 17, 2018
Los Altos, Calif. - The San José State softball team smacked three home runs and Caroline Bowman pitched a complete game for her 10th win of the season in the Spartans 6-1 victory over the San Diego State Aztecs on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Foothill College.
The teams endured two rain delays during the game totaling one hour and 39 minutes. The first came between the bottom of the second and top of the third inning and lasted one hour and 14 minutes. The second, which was 25 minutes, came between the top and bottom of the sixth inning.
Bowman (10-0) allowed one run on four hits, struck out three and walked two in recording her sixth compete game win of the year.
The freshman from Sammamish, Wash., cruised through the first inning, but ran into trouble in the second. With one out, she gave up back-to-back singles, which put runners on the corners. Bowman got out of the jam by striking out the next batter and after a 12-pitch at bat, induced a comebacker for the third out of the inning.
The Spartans (18-9, 2-0 MW) got on the board in the bottom of the second. Georgia Blair (1-for-3, R) led off with a single up the middle and Brittany Abacherli (0-for-1, 2R) followed that with a walk. Madison Aurin (2-for-3, R, 3RBI, HR), who was 3-for-14 in the previous five games, took an 0-2 offering from SDSU starter Alex Formby and crushed to dead centerfield for a three-run homer. It was her team-leading fifth home run of the season, her first in nearly a month and it staked the Spartans to a 3-0 lead.
After a rain delay of more than an hour, Bowman gave up a two-out single in the top of the third and a walk in the fourth, but left both runner stranded to keep SJSU's 3-0 lead intact.
In the SJSU fourth, the Spartans tacked on two more runs. Abacherli led off with a walk and after a fly out and pop out; Jayce Phipps (1-for-1, R, 2RBI, HR) came up as a pinch hitter. On a full count, Phipps sent a ball over the center field fence for her second round tripper of the season. The shot increased the Spartans lead to 5-0.
In the fifth, Cassidy Clark (1-for-3, R, RBI) led off with another home run, her third of the season, to make the score 6-0.
San Diego State (9-19, 0-2 MW) finally got to Bowman in the top of the sixth. With one out, Taylor Adams hit a solo shot to make it a 6-1 game, but that would be as close as the Aztecs would get.
The skies opened up again for 25 minutes and after the teams returned to the field the Spartans went in order in the bottom of the sixth.
In the seventh, Bowman got a groundout and strikeout to start the inning. After a throwing error by SJSU third baseman Rayohna Sagapolu put a runner on, Bowman ended the game with a comebacker.
SJSU got five of its seven hits off Formby, who took the loss and falls to 6-8 on the year. She walked two and struck out one while being charged with five of the Spartans six runs.
The victory ensures the Spartans will at least take the series win and can sweep the Aztecs with a win in Sunday's finale.
The teams wrap up the three-game series on Sunday at 12:00 p.m., at the Foothill College softball field.
San Jose State 6, San Diego State 1 (Mar 17, 2018 at Los Altos, Calif.)
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San Diego State..... 000 001 0 - 1 4 0 (9-19, 0-2 MW)
San Jose State...... 030 210 X - 6 7 1 (18-9, 2-0 MW)
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Pitchers: San Diego State - FORMBY, Alex; MCDONALD, Julie(5) and UMI, Alizae. San Jose State -
Bowman, Caroline and Avila, Alyssa.
Win-BOWMAN, Caroline(10-0) Loss-FORMBY, Alex(6-8) T-3:36 A-103
HR SDSU - ADAMS, Taylor (1).
HR SJ - Clark, Cassidy (3); Aurin, Madison (5); Phipps, Jacey (2).
Game: SD-SJ2