The San José State softball team (1-7, 0-0 MW) lost its rematch against Illinois State University (6-4, 0-0 MWC) 11-5 at the Spartan Softball Complex on Saturday, the second day of the Silicon Valley Classic I tournament.
The Spartans fell to Illinois State 2-1 the day prior, completing a sweep for the Redbirds.
Following their loss to Illinois, the Spartans fell to the University of Utah, 7-6, and dropped another game, 6-1, to No. 24 University of Washington on Sunday.
SJSU Head Coach Tammy Lohmann said game three of the tournament was a tough day for the Spartans.
“First game didn’t feel like we had everything, all cylinders working together,” Lohmann said. “We had parts of the game that were working at times but just didn’t have it together.”
The Spartans led 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning, but the Redbirds quickly returned with a home run – the only one of the game – that left the Spartans scrambling.
Redbirds freshman infielder Morgan Calhoun scampered into the welcoming embrace of her teammates at home plate.
Though the Spartans narrowly regained a 4-3 lead by the bottom of the third, that virtually marked the end of their scoring for the game.
In the top of the fourth, the Redbirds scored six more runs to secure the lead for the remainder of the game.
Later that evening, the Spartans went head-to-head with the Utah Utes, losing 7-6.
Lohmann called the second Valentine’s Day game a “heartbreaker.”
“It was going in the seventh inning and it just kind of showed in the game where if you still have one out to obtain, you can get back in the game and they were able to do that,” Lohmann said.
Nevertheless, Lohmann said she loved that the athletes put up a good fight.
“Norah (Coulsell) pitched an incredible game, defense played solid and hitters found a way to put our runs up,” Lohmann said. “We just couldn’t close the door tonight, but it’s gonna fuel us and get us back ready to go tomorrow.”
Despite allowing 13 hits and six earned runs, Coulsell did not allow a home run and recorded three strikeouts.
The next day, the Spartans closed out the Silicon Valley Classic I with a 6-1 loss to No. 24 Washington.
Lohmann said the Spartans had room for improvement in every area, but came out with some positives, too.
“You know, Ava (Conti) did a great job coming in, Delaney (Faus) came in doing a great job and they’re in a great program,” Lohmann said. “(They’ve) been able to keep us in the ball game.”
Conti allowed two hits and one run in two innings pitched and recorded two strikeouts, while Faus allowed four hits in three innings.
Lohmann said the Spartans have what it takes to compete against high-ranking teams like Utah and Washington.
“We can play at any level when we put all our elements back together,” Lohmann said. “But I think it’s growth right now. We’ve got a young team and we gotta continue to take these weekends and these competitors and get better every day.”
The Spartans ended the tournament 1-9 overall on the season and lost all five of their tournament games.
San José is scheduled to travel to San Luis Obispo to compete in the Mustang Classic for a three-game series at California Polytechnic State University, beginning with a match against the Manhattan University Jaspers at noon on Friday at Bob Janssen Field.
