The San José State softball team secured an 8-2 victory over the New Mexico Lobos on Friday night at Spartan Softball Stadium.
The Spartans followed with an 8-0 loss Saturday before closing the series with a 4-1 win Sunday to close the series on Senior Night.
In the first game, the Spartans finished with 8 runs on 15 hits, while the Lobos managed two runs on five hits.
SJSU started strong in the first inning, gaining an early advantage and setting the tone for the game.
In the bottom of the first, freshman Leata Sherlin drove in freshman Sophia Burdick after Lobos freshman second baseman Melanie Macias couldn’t come up with a ground ball.
Two at bats later sophomore Gigi Ortega singled to center field bringing Sherlin home.
Ortega said the energy the players brought into Friday night’s game is something they want to carry into Saturday.
“If one girl gets a hit, we keep rallying, or even the plays on the field, one girl makes a play, I can feed off that very well,” Ortega said.
In the fourth inning, the Lobos challenged a call involving freshman Briana Williams, questioning whether she was out at first before reaching the base safely.
The Lobos attempted to rally in the sixth inning, scoring two runs on five hits. However, SJSU maintained control throughout the game.
Freshman utility Delaney Faus pitched seven innings and allowed just five hits and two runs.
Faus said the first inning set the tone for the entire game.
“Seeing my team score four runs in the first, that was fun, and that just made me want to keep doing it and have our pitchers’ backs so we can just keep the nail in the coffin,” Faus said.
For Saturday’s matchup, she said the goal was to keep pressure on the Lobos and stay strong defensively.
SJSU head coach Tammy Lohmann said her players brought strong energy to the game.
“We took advantage when they didn’t have bases covered, took advantage when they threw to the wrong bases and stuff like that,” Lohmann said.
Lohmann said her team had the ability to put the ball in play Friday night and needed to carry the same energy into Saturday.
“We had the ability to put the ball in play today. We just hit the ball hard and just ran hard, and that was great just to see,” Lohmann said.
The Lobos flipped the script on Saturday, setting the tone early with a home run.
While SJSU attempted to keep up, the Spartans were unable to replicate Friday’s performance, struggling to make consistent defensive plays after Lobos hits, something McDowell noticed immediately.
“I think the first couple innings made a difference in being intentional in our energy,” McDowell said.
Rain began to fall early in the game, but Zermeno said she did not use the weather as an excuse.
“I feel like we thrive in the chaos, especially weather like this,” Zermeno said.
Lohmann said softball results vary day-to-day, but certain fundamentals must remain consistent.
“We had every ability to be able to get back into a game, but we’re not tacking the zone, we’re not putting balls in play,” Lohmann said.
SJSU closed out the series with a 4-1 win over the Lobos on Sunday, which also marked Senior Night.
The Spartans honored three seniors: McDowell, Ahmiya Noriega and Reina Zermeno.
SJSU had a strong second inning, scoring three runs compared to New Mexico’s one. The Spartans held the offensive edge overall, recording seven hits to the Lobos’ five.
The Spartans led 3-1 entering the fifth and added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning to secure the win.
SJSU will now prepare for its final regular-season series as it travels to Boise to face Boise State in a three-game series at Huber Field at Dona Larsen Park, beginning Thursday at 5 p.m.
