By Zoë Woodward – Spear Reporter | Senior infielder Ahmiya Noriega getting ready to bat moments before the game was called off. Photo by Zoë Woodward – Spear Photographer
After five and a half innings, San Jose State softball (11-27, 3-12 MW) led 4-0 against San Diego State (21-19, 6-9 MW) as rain began to pour on Saturday. The teams returned on Sunday to continue play as the Spartans won 8-0 against conference rivals.
Despite losing the first of the doubleheader earlier in the day, 6-1, the Spartans started this matchup with a bang.
Senior infielder Reina Zermeno smacked the ball over the fence in deep right field to earn her second home run of the day and give the Spartans an early 2-0 lead.
“I was struggling last week so this was really nice to come back and just feel a lot better at the plate,” Zermeno said. “Our team is just having so much more fun so I’m excited to get back tomorrow.”
The Aztecs appeared to have struggled as they had three straight outs in four out of the five innings played.
Meanwhile, the Spartans were able to turn their performance around and have been the dominant side so far.
“Jordyn’s doing a great job on the mound, defense is playing behind her,” SJSU head coach Tammy Lohmann said. “We just gotta continue putting runs on the board right now.”
With two runners on bases in the bottom of the second inning, freshman outfielder Sophia Burdick stepped up to the plate and delivered an RBI adding to the Spartans score.
Next, was junior outfielder Carly Cummings, who was caught by sophomore shortstop Quin Waiki to end the inning with two players still on bases.
After a few quiet innings, the Spartans struck again as the sky opened up. Cummings obtained a single that allowed Burdick to advance around the diamond to home.
At 5 p.m., the game was called due to the rain, with the Spartans leading 4-0.
In the NCAA, there is the Mercy Rule, which means that if after five innings one team leads by eight or more runs and weather is going to become an issue, the game can end there and be a legal game.
Since that run count hasn’t been met, the game was resumed the following day.
“It sucks cause we’re feeling good today but it’s fine,” Zermeno said. “We’ll just get some more rest and be ready to go again tomorrow.”
The Spartans hoped to level the series and carry over their momentum.
“We’re gonna continue the momentum and this is the challenge for any team,” said Lohmann. “It’s a situation a lot of players aren’t used to but I think the girls are prepared for it. We adjust and adapt here; that’s our middle name.”
The game was continued at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, with the Spartans securing the victory under the Mercy Rule.
Sophomore infiedler Gigi Ortega was able to get a single to allow freshman utility Leata Sherlin to score a walk-off run as the Spartans were 8-0 at the end of the fifth inning.
The Spartans will hope to continue their momentum as they go on the road next weekend. The first game in the series is at 3 p.m. on Friday at Utah State.
