San Jose, Calif. – Behind a pair of freshmen pitchers, who combined for 12 strikeouts, gave us three walks and surrendered two runs, the San José State softball team swept both its games on day two of the Lion Classic in Hammond, La. SJSU defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies 3-2 and the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes 4-0.
San José State 3, Northern Illinois 2
Jenessa Ullegue (1-0) tossed a complete-game four hitter and was the beneficiary of a two-run bottom of the seventh in earning the first win of her collegiate career.
Ullegue gave up a run in the top of the third on a two-out RBI double, and another in top of the fifth on a triple and a throwing error at shortstop, which staked the Huskies a 2-0 lead.
The Spartans (2-0) cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fifth. Mackenzie Drake (2-for-2, 2R, 2B) doubled down the left field line with one out and two batters later Makayla Englestad (2-for-3, RBI, 2B) drove her in with a double down the right field line.
The score remained 2-1 in favor of Northern Illinois (0-1) until the bottom of the seventh.
Drake singled with one out and after a fielding error at shortstop and an Englestad single the Spartans had the bases loaded.
Kaelin Amrein (2-for-3, RBI) singled to second scoring Drake and tying the game at 2-2. Madison Aurin then hit into a fielder's choice. Taylor Tiger, who entered the game as a pinch runner, scored from third on the play to secure the win for SJSU.
San José State 4, Mississippi Valley State 0
In a complete game shutout, Chrys Hildebrand (1-0) surrendered two hits and a walk while striking out nine to earn the first collegiate win of her career.
Hildebrand had a runner in scoring position only once. In the second, the Devilettes got a runner on by way of a Hildebrand fielding error. A passed ball moved the runner to second with one out, but Hildebrand got back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat.
While Hildebrand was keeping the Mississippi Valley State (0-1) bats in check, the Spartans offense managed just five hits, but scored four times. Two Devilettes' pitchers combined for eight walks, two of which wound up scoring.
Makayla Englestad (1-for-2, R) led off the Spartans' first with a walk and three batters later scored on a groundout for a 1-0 lead.
In the third, San José State (3-0) doubled its lead. Cassidy Clark (1-for-3, R, 2B) led off with a ground-rule double and three batters later was driven in by Kristen Heffley.
The Spartans tacked on two more runs in the fifth. Pinch hitter Jacey Phipps led off with a walk and was lifted for pinch runner, Kaelin Amrein. Heffley (1-for-4, R, RBI) followed with an infield single. Both runners would come around to score and give San José State a 4-0 lead, when pinch-hitter Janessa Lozano (0-for-1, RBI) reached on a fielding error at third base.
SJSU continue play in the Lion Classic on Saturday with a pair of games. The Spartans play Southern Illinois at 3:30 p.m. (CT) and Nicholls State at 5:30 p.m. (CT).
The team wraps up play in the tournament on Sunday with a single game against Nicholls State at 10:00 a.m. (CT)