March 9, 2018
Long Beach, Calif. - On the second day of the Louisville Slugger Invitational, the San Jose State softball team split a pair of games against ranked opponents. The Spartans defeated #21 Long Beach State 7-3 after falling to #3 UCLA 10-0.
"We have been building this program for the last several years with an eye on being one of the top programs and being able to compete against the best teams in the nation," head coach Peter Turner said. "In the past couple of years, and this season specifically, we have been able to go toe-to-toe with top teams and I'm really happy we proved to ourselves that not only can we compete with ranked opponents, we can beat them."
The victory over a ranked team, #21 Long Beach State, is the first for the program in nearly six years.
San José State 7, #21 Long Beach State 3
The Spartans (15-8) scored twice in the top of the first and never trailed in the game in a 7-3 win against #21 Long Beach State.
"We made some big plays when we needed to and that was the key to this win," Turner said. "I think Caroline (Bowman), a freshman, coming in in a critical situation and getting us out of it was huge for her and us. This is truly a team. We really don't have any superstars and those are the type of teams that can go a long way."
Emma Entzminger (2-for-3, 2R) led off the game with a single and scored when Kaelin Amrein, the next batter, doubled to center. Two batters later Madison Aurin (2-for-3, RBI, 2B) singled up the middle plating Amrein. The Spartans loaded the bases with two outs, but couldn't push any more runs across and led 2-0 after half an inning.
In the bottom of the second, Long Beach State scored two runs on four hits to tie the game at 2-2. Both runs came with two outs and came off Aurin, who started the game for SJSU.
The Spartans came up in the top of the third and got the runs right back. Consecutive doubles to lead off the inning, by Cassidy Clark (3-for-5, R, RBI, 2B) and Aurin, scored the first run. Three batters later, with two outs and Aurin at third, Brittany Abacherli (2-for-3, RBI, 3B) got an RBI single and San José State led 4-2 after two and a half innings.
SJSU tacked on another run in the fourth. With one out and runners on second and third, Clark singled to left plating the team's fifth run of the game.
The 49ers scored in the bottom of the frame on an RBI double to make it 5-3.
In the fifth, Aurin ran into trouble. She gave up a leadoff double, and after a ground out moved the runner to third, Coach Turner brought in Caroline Bowman. Bowman induced a pair of groundouts to end the threat and preserve the two-run lead.
The Spartans put the game away in the sixth. Leading off the inning, Entzminger was hit by a pitch. Amrein (1-for-4, R, RBI, 2B) walked and Clark singled to load the bases. Aurin then walked to score a run and make it 6-3. Two batters later with the bases still loaded, Desiree Reyes (1-for-4, RBI) singled to left to drive in the last run of the game.
Bowman cruised through the sixth, but in the seventh things got interesting. With one out, Long Beach State got a double and single to put runners on the corners. But a lineout and then a groundout to Entzminger at short ended the game.
Aurin (5-6), who has won her last four decisions, pitched 4.1 innings, scattering seven hits and allowing three runs to earn the victory. Bowman went 2.2 innings giving up two hits and earned a save, the first of her collegiate career.
San Jose State 7, Long Beach State 3 (Mar 09, 2018 at Long Beach, Calif.)
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San Jose State...... 202 102 0 - 7 12 0 (15-8)
Long Beach State.... 020 100 0 - 3 9 0 (19-5)
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Pitchers: San Jose State - Aurin, Madison; BOWMAN, Caroline(5) and Avila, Alyssa.
Long Beach State - Magnett; Flores(5) and MacLeod.
Win-AURIN, Madison(5-6) Save-BOWMAN, Caroline(1) Loss-Magnett(5-4) T-1:56 A-409
Weather: Partly Cloudy and Windy
Magnett faced 2 batters in the 3rd.
Flores faced 3 batters in the 6th.
Game: SJ-LBS
#3 UCLA 10, San José State 0 (5 innings)
In the first game of the day, San José State got just one hit off UCLA's Rachel Garcia and the Bruins scored nine times in the bottom of the fourth in a 10-0 run-rule victory on Friday morning.
Brittany Abacherli got the SJSU (14-8) hit, a one-out double in the bottom of the second, but couldn't advance any further on the base paths. In total, the Spartans had five base runners against Garcia. In addition to the Abacherli hit, she issued two walks, hit a batter and there was a catcher's interference.
UCLA (21-0) scored once in the second. With runners on second and third, against San Jose State starter Desiree Severance (2-2), the Bruins got an RBI single to left from Paige Halstead to take a 1-0 lead.
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth. Before the Spartans could register an out, UCLA got a three-run homer from Bubba Nickles and loaded the bases again. The Bruins B Perez grounded into a double play, which scored a run and left a runner on third. A bunt single couldn't push that run across, but the next batter, Aaliyah Jordan, singled to plate the fifth run of the inning.
With runners on second and third, Brianna Tautalafua singled in two to make it 8-0. Morgan Orchard, who replaced Severance, gave up a two run homer to Garcia to make it 10-0 after four.
Garcia (9-0) then set the Spartans down in order to secure the compete-game victory.
UCLA 10, San Jose State 0 (Mar 09, 2018 at Long Beach, Calif.)
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San Jose State...... 000 00 - 0 1 1 (14-8)
UCLA................ 010 9X - 10 11 1 (21-0)
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Pitchers: San Jose State - Severance, Desiree; ORCHARD, Morgan(4) and Luna, Alexandra. UCLA -
Garcia and Halstead.
Win-Garcia(9-0) Loss-SEVERANCE, Desiree(2-2) T-1:19 A-0
HR UCLA - Garcia (2); Nickles (3).
Weather: Sunny and Breezy
Game: SJ-UCLA