By Max Garcia – Spear Reporter (Photo courtesy of SJSU Athletics)
San Jose State softball fell 8-11 against Idaho State in a high-scoring match to open the Norcal Kickoff Tournament.
SJSU led 6-0 going into the bottom of the third inning but the lead disappeared after ISU scored eight runs.
The Bengals added three more runs in the fourth, making a comeback difficult for the Spartans.
“Love the Spartans today, hitting all cylinders and scoring 6 in the first three innings,” SJSU head coach Tammy Lohmann said. “We just had one big inning that we gave up too many runs, and they capitalized on it and came back later on.”
SJSU attempted to rally late, scoring two runs across the sixth and seventh innings, but it wasn’t enough.
Errors played a crucial role as there were four committed by the Spartans, while the Bengals only committed two.
Second baseman Renia Zermeno had a strong performance, going 2-for-3 with a triple and having an RBI and a run over the home plate.
Catcher Aneesa Almaguer contributed offensively by hitting her first career home run finishing with an RBI and one run scored.
Freshman third baseman Gigi Ortega got her first career hit ending the day with a single and one run scored.
Aubrie Thomas drew two walks with one RBI, scored a run, and led the team last season with 16 walks.
Despite the amount of runs that were allowed, pitcher Mia Reynolds struck out seven on 114 pitches.
“A lot of good, but a lot we got to continue to work on,” Lohmann said.
SJSU softball will rematch Idaho State at noon on Feb. 8 at UC Davis.
