April 27, 2018
San Jose, Calif. - After nearly two years playing its home games off campus, the San José State softball team christened its new home, Spartans Softball Field, with a 3-1 victory over the New Mexico Lobos on Friday afternoon.
The last game the program played on the San José State campus was on May 14, 2016, a 5-3 victory over the same New Mexico Lobos. Since that game the Spartans have played close to two seasons, 98 games in total, without an on campus facility while its new home was being built.
In their final regular season home series and in what can only be described as divine justice, seniors Emma Entzminger and Brittany Abacherli combined to manufacture and score the first run on the new field.
Leading off the bottom of the first inning, Entzminger (2-for-4, 2R, 2SB) beat out an infield single for the first hit on the field. After she stole second, one of two steal for Entzminger on the day, Abacherli (1-for-2, RBI, BB) drove her in with a single. It was the first RBI on the field and staked San José State (28-15, 12-6 MW) to a 1-0 lead.
Cassidy Clark (1-for-2, 2RBI, BB) followed Abacherli with a walk and Madison Aurin was hit to load the bases with no outs, but the next three batters couldn't get the ball out of the infield. The Spartans left the bases loaded; three of seven they would leave on in the game.
SJSU, which had nine hits off New Mexico starter Jensen Main, and runners on base in each of the first five innings, broke through for two more in the fourth.
With one out, Alyssa Avila (2-for-3, R) and Entzminger picked up back-to-back singles. Abacherli walked to load the bases and then Clark drove in Avila and Entzminger on a single to left center making the score 3-0 after four innings.
Although not involved in the scoring, Desiree Reyes (2-for-3) and Kaelin Amrein (1-for-3) had three of the team's nine base knocks.
In the circle, Aurin limited New Mexico (12-33, 5-11 MW) to two hits through six innings. In the first and fourth the Lobos got a base runner to third, but both times Aurin slammed the door.
In the first, the runner was on third with one out and Aurin induced back-to-back comebackers to end the threat. In the fourth, the runner was on third with two outs when an Aurin drop ball was hit to short. Entzminger scooped it up and threw the batter out at first.
In the sixth, New Mexico got its leadoff batter on with a single, but she was erased on a steal attempts. Avila threw a perfect strike to Clark at second, who then waited for the runner to slide into the tag.
Trailing 3-0 heading into the top of the seventh, the Lobos picked up their lone run. Andrea Howard doubled to lead off the inning. Two outs later with Howard on third, Sydney Broderick singled her in to make it 3-1. After a wild pitch moved the runner to second, Aurin induced a comebacker for the final out of the game.
Aurin (13-11) scattered four hits walked two and struck out two in earning the complete game win. Main (6-17) also pitched a complete game, walked and struck out two as well, but gave up the aforementioned nine hits and three runs in the loss.
The Spartans and Lobos play game two of the series on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. on Spartans Softball Field. The game will feature a senior ceremony after the game.
San Jose State 3, New Mexico 1 (Apr 27, 2018 at San Jose, Calif.)
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New Mexico.......... 000 000 1 - 1 4 0 (12-33, 5-11 MW)
San Jose State...... 100 200 X - 3 9 1 (28-15, 12-6 MW)
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Pitchers: New Mexico - MAIN and BRODERICK. San Jose State - Aurin, Madison and Avila, Alyssa.
Win-AURIN, Madison(13-11) Loss-MAIN(6-17) T-1:52 A-571
Game: NM-SJ1