By Alex Stoev (@alexstoevsjsu) – Staff Reporter | Freshman pitcher Norah Coulsell ready to pitch vs Stanford (Photo by Haddy Barghouti – The Spear)
In the second game of a back-to-back, San Jose State softball (0-2) falls to No. 17 Stanford (2-0) 7-3 in Stanford, Calif.
SJSU was looking to rebound after its one-sided 9-0 loss to No. 20 Oklahoma State earlier today.
While the Spartans were leading 3-2 through the fourth inning, Stanford would go on to score five straight runs over the next two innings to make it 7-3.
Stanford senior second baseman Taryn Kern would deliver the dagger with her two run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning to close it.
Senior first baseman Shay McDowell led the Spartans going 2-for-3 at the plate with one RBI.
“I’m definitely happy with my performance today,” McDowell said. “I had the goal of coming out loose, really no pressure against this team and since we were the underdog that kind of took the pressure off of us.”
The RBI was scored by senior second baseman Reina Zermeno, who also led the Spartans going 2-for-3 at the plate.
“I started off a little wobbly, then once the game got going I got a little more comfortable,” Zermeno said. “I thought on the defensive side of it I thought I was leading well out there you know talking a lot, holding it down, and luckily the swings came through at the end.”
SJSU head coach Tammy Lohmann talked about how the team was able to rebound and stay competitive in this game with it being the second of a back-to-back.
“In this game, just coming out and being able to regroup after the first game and being competitive against this great Stanford team, I just loved their energy and their ability to come back and compete,” coach Lohmann said.
Freshman pitcher Norah Coulsell made her first career start in this game, pitching all six innings, throwing 103 pitches in 27 at-bats.
Coulsell would throw scoreless innings in the first, third and fourth innings despite the five runs allowed combined in innings five and six.
SJSU will look to rebound against Berkeley at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Stanford, Calif.
