By Sara Biela (@sarabielaa ):
San Jose State softball competed well in the Palm Springs tournament, but dropped four of five games. Here are three things to take away from the weekend.
24 shutout innings in five games, 11 of them against No. 12 Auburn and No. 5 Oregon
Despite giving up costly runs late into the games, the Spartans’ pitching staff and defense didn’t allow a run in 24 innings throughout the five-game weekend. The pitching gave up a combined 17 runs on 32 hits, with the defense only committing three errors compared to the 12 errors in the Marucci Desert Classic last weekend. Auburn and Oregon are both in the Top-25 in scoring and the Spartans held them to five total runs. The pitching and defense pulled through in crucial situations and proved they can compete with just about anybody.
Offense did well against dominant pitching
The offense averaged 6.8 hits and 5.6 strikeouts per game, even when facing three Top-30 ranked pitchers in Auburn’s senior Kaylee Carlson, Mississippi State’s senior Holly Ward and Oregon’s sophomore Miranda Elish. However, 32 runners were left stranded in the five games. Although SJSU was shut out three of the five games, the team had a fighting chance in every matchup. The Spartans kept pace all throughout. This says a lot about what the team is capable of doing further down the road.
Hungry to get back on track
The Mary Nutter was a huge learning experience for the Spartans. They’ll look to get back on track and spoil Santa Clara’s opening night on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Broncos (0-9) have a combined 7.34 ERA and .203 BA. Starting this Friday, SJSU will compete in the Louisville Slugger tournament. The team will face the Providence Friars (3-7) and Wagner Seahawks (2-3) twice in doubleheader fashion on Friday and Saturday, and conclude with the Pacific Tigers (6-9) on Sunday. One thing that’s for sure: the team will be ready come conference time.