May 4, 2018
Logan, Utah - In the first of four must-win games, the San José State softball team banged out 12 hits and scored eight times in an 8-4 victory over the Utah State Aggies on Friday afternoon.
Five Spartans had two hits each and Madison Aurin pitched five innings, scattering five hits and giving up three runs in the win. The victory improves Aurin's record to 15-11 on the year.
San José State (31-15, 15-6 MW) got its offense going in the top of the first.
Emma Entzminger (1-for-2, 2R, 2BB) walked and then scored on a Brittany Abacherli (2-for-4, R, RBI, 2B) double to left center. After a Cassidy Clark walk and two outs were recorded, Desiree Reyes singled through the left side to plate the team's second run. It was the first of a team-high three Reyes would drive in on the day.
In the bottom of the second, Aurin got the first two outs, but then gave up a single, a walk and a three-run homer to Devan Sperry to put the Aggies in front 3-2.
The Utah State (17-30, 6-13 MW) lead lasted less than a half an inning.
The third saw Aurin (2-for-4, R, 2B) get a one-out double and after Kaelin Amrein (2-for-4, R, 2B) singled, the Spartans had runners on the corners. A wild pitch by Aggies starter Kellie White (6-16) moved Amrein to second and then two more wild pitches allowed Aurin and Amrein to score making it 4-3 Spartans.
In the fourth, San José State tacked on three more runs off relief pitcher Delane Hull. With one out, Entzminger, Abacherli and Clark (1-for-3, 2R, RBI) all singled with Clark's hit driving in Entzminger.
Aurin then reached on a fielder's choice to second, but the throw to the shortstop, who was covering the bag, was too hard for the fielder to catch and on the error everyone was safe. Two batters later Reyes (2-for-4, 3RBI) singled down the right field line plating two more and making the score 7-3.
Caroline Bowman entered the circle in the bottom of the sixth got the first batter she faced, but then gave up a solo homer, cutting the Spartans lead to 7-4. Bowman induced a pair of groundouts to get out of the inning and get the Spartans back to the plate.
With one out and nobody on in the top of the seventh, Georgia Blair (2-for-4, R, RBI, HR) took a 2-1 offering and deposited over the fence in right field. The opposite field shot was her second homer of the year and made it 8-4, which was the final score.
Game two of the three game series is scheduled for Saturday with first pitch set for 12:00 p.m. (MT).
San Jose State 8, Utah State 4 (May 04, 2018 at Logan, Utah)
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San Jose State...... 202 300 1 - 8 12 1 (31-15, 15-6 MW)
Utah State.......... 030 001 0 - 4 7 2 (17-30, 6-13 MW)
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Pitchers: San Jose State - Aurin, Madison; BOWMAN, Caroline(6) and Avila, Alyssa. Utah State -
WHITE, Kelli; HULL, Delane(4) and BUTTACAVOLI,.
Win-AURIN, Madison(15-11) Loss-WHITE, Kelli(6-16) T-2:07 A-347
HR SJ - Blair, Georgia (2).
HR US - TRAPP, Baile (8); SPERRY, Deva (3).
Weather: 70 degrees, sunny
Game: SJ-US1