San Jose, Calif. – The San Jose State softball team built a 5-2 lead heading into the seventh inning and then held on to defeat the Boise State Broncos 5-4 in the first game of the three game Mountain West series.
The Broncos out hit the Spartans (23-10, 3-1 MW) 11-to-4, but they walked six batters, three of which came around to score for SJSU.
Alyssa Graham (1-for-2, 3RBI, 2B, BB) staked the Spartans to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second.
Boise State starter Kelsey Broadus (8-2) loaded the bases with no outs on three straight walks. Graham then smoked a double down the left field line and into the corner. All three base runners came around to score and SJSU had a lead it would not surrender the rest of the way.
Boise State (23-6, 3-4 MW) had runners on and in scoring position in three of its first four innings. Each time Caroline Bowman held them off the board, but in the fifth the Broncos broke through.
Bowman (9-4) got the first out of the inning, but then gave up back-to-back singles and on the second, both runners ended up in scoring position. Jenessa Ullegue was brought in and she retired the first batter on a fly out to center that scored a run. The next batter lifted a ball to right and it looked like it would be caught, but the wind got it and it fell into fair territory. By the time right fielder Arianna Miranda reached it the Broncos second run of the inning had crossed the plate to make it a 3-2 ballgame.
In the sixth it looked like Boise State would capitalize on a pair of Spartan errors, but they ran themselves out of the inning. Their leadoff hitter reached on an error by Graham at third and then a single put runners on first and second. The next batter flied out to right and the runner on second reached third.
After the ball got back to the circle, the Spartans threw to second base and appealed. The runner was call out for leaving the base early. The next batter reached on an error by Rayohna Sagapolu at short to once again put runners on first and second, but Ullegue induced a comebacker to end the threat and keep the Spartans ahead 3-2.
In the bottom of the sixth the San Jose State got a pair of crucial insurance runs.
Ullegue (1-for-2, 2R, RBI, HR, BB) led off the inning by hammering her third homer of the season, a shot into the prevailing wind and over the fence in left center. Jayce Phipps then pinch hit and reached on catcher's interference. Kristen Heffley laid down a sac bunt to move the runner to second and a ground out got her to third. Alyssa Avila (1-for-3, RBI) then singled to right to plate the run and give SJSU a 5-2 lead.
The Spartans would need every one of those runs to get the win.
In the Broncos seventh, they opened with a single and double to put two in scoring position. A sacrifice fly scored a run to make it 5-3. Another single scored the runner from second and on a throw to the plate the Boise State runner advanced to scoring position at second.
Ullegue then induced lineout to first and put the game away with a lineout back to herself.
Bowman went 4.1 innings and giving up six hits and two runs to earn the win. Ullegue earned the save with 2.2 innings and two runs on five hits.
The series continues on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 12:00.