San Jose, Calif. – In a game in which runs were at a premium, the San José State softball team scored in the bottom of the eighth inning to secure a 2-1 victory over the Iona Gaels on Sunday afternoon and in doing so swept the inaugural Spartan Invitational.
The game was tied 1-1 after seven innings and went to an international tiebreaker, in which each inning begins with a runner on second base.
Iona (1-12), in the top of the eight, executed a sacrifice bunt to move its runner to third and then had two opportunities to score the go ahead run. But Caroline Bowman induced a comebacker and then got a strikeout to end the Gaels' half inning.
It was then the Spartans turn. Makayla Englestad was placed on second base and Arianna Miranda led off with a fly out to center. Englestad tagged up and got to third. Cassidy Clark (1-for-3, RBI, SF) then hit a sacrifice fly to center and Englestad jogged home for the winning run.
The teams combined for just eight hits with San José State (18-9) getting just three.
Chrys Hildebrand started for the Spartans, went a strong 5.1 innings, but didn't figure in the decision. She scattered five hits and struck four with only one walk. The only mistake she made was a one-out solo homer in the fourth inning that put the Gaels up 1-0.
San José State tied the game in the fifth. With one out, designated player Janessa Lozano walked and was lifted for pinch runner Alyssa Graham. Two batters later Englestad (2-for-4, R, 2B) doubled into the gap in right center and Graham ended up on third.
Iona pitcher Kara Zazzaro (1-4) walked Miranda to load the bases and then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Graham to score and tie the game 1-1.
After Hildebrand got a strikeout to open the sixth and then gave up a single, she was replaced by Bowman, who retired nine of the 10 batters she faced to earn the win and improve her record to 7-3 on the season.
San Jose State went 5-0 over the weekend and wraps up non-conference play with a doubleheader against Manhattan on Tuesday. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on Spartan Softball Field.
