San Jose, Calif. – The San José State softball team spotted Boise State three runs and then came back to defeat the Broncos 5-3 on Sunday afternoon on Spartan Softball Field and completed a three-game sweep of the Mountain West series.
It is the second three-game sweep of a conference series in as many tries since San José State (25-10, 5-1 MW) began playing on its new field at the end of last season. And for the second game in the series, SJSU was victorious despite being out hit. On Sunday Boise State had seven hits to the Spartans six.
Boise State (23-8, 3-6 MW) got five of its seven hits in the first three innings, including three in a three-run third.
Against starter Caroline Bowman, the Broncos started the third with back-to-back singles and then got a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners with one out. A stolen base got both runners into scoring position and the next batter hit a grounder to third.
The runner at third broke for home on contact and Alyssa Graham, the Spartans' third baseman, threw home to cut the run down. The base runner got into a rundown and was tagged, but in the process of the play she ran into catcher Alyssa Avila. Avila was called for interference and Boise State was awarded a run. When the dust had cleared, the Broncos had runners on second and third with no outs and a 1-0 lead. The next batter then doubled to left center, plated two more runs and put Boise State up 3-0.
The double spelled the end of the day for Bowman and Chrys Hildebrand was brought in to stem the tide. She got a strikeout and fly out to end the inning, but the interference play got the Spartans fired up.
In the bottom of the frame San José State began to chip away at the Broncos lead. Graham (2-for-3, R) led off with a single deep in the hole at short. She was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Rayohna Sagapolu and then to third on an Avila groundout. Boise State pitcher Gianna Mancha (8-4) then launched one halfway up the screen allowing Graham to score on the wild pitch and make it 3-1.
Hildebrand surrendered the first of two hits; in the 4.2 innings she pitched, to the leadoff batter in the fourth, but stranded her on the base paths to get the Spartans back to the plate.
In the bottom of the inning, the Spartans scored two more times to tie the game 3-3.
Jacey Phipps (1-for-2, 2R, BB) led off with a single to right and two batters later Madison Aurin (2-for-2, R, 3RBI, 3B, BB) ripped a ball down the right field line. The Broncos right fielder dove for it; missed and it rolled into the right field corner. With that, Aurin was off to the races. Phipps came all the way around to score and Aurin ended up at third with a triple. Two batters later Kaelin Amrein hit a tailor-made ball to the second baseman, who should have fielded it and thrown her out at first, but she bobbled the ball and Amrein was safe while Aurin scored to tie the game.
After Hildebrand set the Broncos down in order in the top of the fifth, the Spartans tacked on two more runs in their half of the inning.
With one out, Avila (1-for-3, 2B) doubled to left center and was lifted for pinch runner Taylor Tiger. Two batters later with two out, Phipps walked, and after Cassidy Clark was hit by a pitch loading the bases for Aurin.
Aurin, the third most prolific run producer in Spartans history with 147-career RBIs, then smoked a single to center scoring Tiger and Phipps to put the Spartan up 5-3.
Hildebrand gave up a meaningless single in the sixth and then set the Broncos down in order in the seventh to secure the win and the three-game sweep.
For the second game in a row, Hildebrand came out of the bullpen and kept the Spartans in the game at a crucial time. For the weekend, she pitched 8.2 innings, surrendered four hits, one walk and struck out four, including 4.2 shutout innings on Sunday to get the win and improve to 2-2 on the season.
The Spartans are back in action next weekend when they host the top team in the Mountain West standings, the Colorado State Rams. First pitch of three-game series is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.. on Friday on Spartan Softball Field.