San Jose, Calif. – Caroline Bowman tossed San José State softball's 13th no-hitter in program history in a 5-0 victory over the UMass-Lowell River Hawks on Friday afternoon getting the SJSU its first of two win on day two of the 2019 Spartan Invitational.
San José State 5, UMass Lowell 0
Bowman (6-3), who recorded one strikeout with no walks, set the final 18 batters she faced. Had it not been for a fielding error she committed facing the first batter of the second inning, she would have tossed a perfect game. The last Spartan to throw a no-hitter was Katelyn Linford who did it against Nevada on March 18, 2017.
Offensively the Spartans got all they would need in the first three innings.
With two-outs in the first Cassidy Clark (2-for-4, R) and Madison Aurin (1-for-3, BB) singled to set the San José State up with runners on the corners. Rayohna Sagapolu (1-for-4, R) then reach on a fielding error in left, Clark scored and gave SJSU a 1-0 lead.
In the second the Spartans tacked on two more.
They got a one out solo homer from Alyssa Graham (2-for-3, R, RBI, HR), her second of the season, to make it 2-0. Alyssa Avila (2-for-3) singled. Then Makayla Englestad (1-for-4, R, 2RBI) reached on a fielder's choice, erasing Avila, and Arianna Miranda (1-for-3) singled to put two on with two outs. Clark then hit a ground ball to short, but the UMass Lowell shortstop's throw pulled the first basemen off the bag, which allowed Englestad to score from second to make it 3-0.
In the third, the Spartans (14-9) loaded the bases with one out on singles from Sagapolu, Jacey Phipps (1-for-2) and Graham. Two batters later, Englestad roped a single to right center plate two more runs and making it 5-0.
For the game the Spartans pounded out 11 hits. It's the second game in a row San José State has had double-digit hits and the first time this year they have it in back-to-back games.
The River Hawks committed three errors. Kaysee Talcki (2-4) gave up all five runs, three of which were earned and took the loss.
San José State 4, Iona 2
In the Spartans second game of the day, they were outhit by the Gaels 9-to-6, but got the clutch base knock when they needed it.
Madison Aurin was effective in the circle and the batters box. She pitched 6.0 innings, scattered six hits and gave up just one run with one strikeout in earning the win and improving her record to 2-2 on the year.
SJSU (15-9) got one run in the third to get the scoring going.
With one out, Makayla Englestad (1-for-3, R) reached on a fielding error by the Gaels shortstop and promptly stole second. Arianna Miranda (1-for-3, RBI, BB) singled to center to score Englestad and SJSU was up 1-0.
The score remained the same until the top of the fifth.
Iona (0-10) had runners on the corners with one out, when Natalia Meray singled through the right side to score the runner from third and tie the game at 1-1.
However, the tie would not last long. With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Miranda walked and Cassidy Clark (1-for-3, R) singled to set the stage for Aurin. Aurin (1-for-2, R, 3RBI, HR) took the first good pitch she saw and destroyed it. The three-run homer went over the wall in left center and SJSU was back in front 4-1.
Aurin got through the sixth and then made way for Caroline Bowman in the seventh.
Bowman, not as sharp as she was in the first game of the day, gave up back-to-back singles and then got back-to-back strikeouts, before a double scored a run and put the tying run at second base. But Iona would get not closer. Bowman induced a comebacker, threw to Aurin at first, and picked up her first save of the season.