San Jose, Calif. – Senior Madison Aurin singled with runners on second and third in the bottom of the eighth inning to send the San José State softball team to a 6-5 victory over the Boise State Broncos on Saturday afternoon on Spartan Softball Field.
With the win, San José State (24-10, 4-1 MW) secures its second Mountain West series win in as many weeks and will go for the series sweep on Sunday.
With the game tied 5-5 heading into the bottom of the eighth, Makayla Englestad (0-for-3, R, 2BB) led off with a walk. Two batters later, Cassidy Clark (2-for-3, RBI, 2B, 2BB) doubled into the gap in left center to set the Spartans up with runners at second and third and one of the program's most prolific power hitters coming to the plate.
Aurin (1-for-5, RBI), who ranks second all-time in Spartans' history with a .566 slugging percentage, belted a 2-1 pitch over the head of the Boise State centerfielder driving in Englestad to clinch the victory.
Entering the seventh, with SJSU up 5-2 and Jenessa Ullegue in the circle in relief of Chrys Hildebrand, the game didn't look like it would head to extra innings. But Boise State (23-7, 3-5 MW) put up a three-spot to tie the game.
Hildebrand entered the circle in the top of the third with the Spartans down 2-0 and pitched four extremely effective innings. She set down the first 10 batters she faced while the SJSU bats put five runs on the board. She allowed two hits, struck out two and was tagged for the first run in the seventh-inning Boise State rally.
After Hildebrand surrendered a double to start the seventh, she was lifted in favor of Ullegue, who leads the team with three saves. Needing three outs, Ullegue gave up a single to short and the runner on second advanced to third on a throwing error from shortstop Rayohna Sagapolu. The next batter singled to drive in the first run of the inning and then a bunt single loaded the bases with no outs. Ullegue then walked the next batter she faced to get Boise State to within a run at 5-4.
Following a fielder's choice in which the runner at third was cut down at home, Boise State hit into another fielder's choice. Sagapolu fielded the ground ball at short, flipped it to Clark at second for the first out and then Clark fired a bullet to third where Alyssa Graham applied the tag for the third out. However, a run scored before the tag at third could be made and the game was tied 5-5.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Spartans had runners on the corners with two outs, but couldn't push the winning run across. In the top of the eighth, Ullegue set the Broncos down in order to set the stage for Aurin's dramatics.
With Aurin starting the game in the circle, Boise State scored a run in the first and second to take a 2-0 lead.
In the third the SJSU comeback began. Alyssa Avila (2-for-3, 2RBI, 2B) singled to open the inning and was lifted for pinch runner Grace Garvey. Englestad then walked and following consecutive wild pitches, Garvey scored the Spartans first run.
In the fourth, San José State added two more. Kaelin Amrein (3-for-3, 2R, 3B, BB) led off with a triple to left center and scored on a Graham (2-for-4, R, RBI, 2B) double to tie the game at 2-2. Avila then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Graham to third and two batters later Clark drove in the go-ahead run on a single to right.
In the fifth, the Spartans added a pair of insurance runs. Pinch hitter Jacey Phipps (1-for-1) singled to center and got to second on a fielding error by the centerfielder. Amrein then singled deep in the hole at short and both runners moved up a base on a throwing error by the Boise State shortstop. Two batters later, Avila doubled to right field driving in two runners and made it 5-2 Spartans, which was the score heading into the seventh.
Ullegue, who entered with a chance to pick up her fourth save of the year, instead earned the win. She tossed three innings, giving up two hits and two runs with one walk and improves her record to 11-2.
Kelsey Broadus (8-3) took the loss for the second day in a row. She came on in relief and went 4.1 innings giving up seven hits and three runs. She walked three and struck out two.
The series wraps up on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
