By Hannah Hall — Staff Writer
San Jose State softball (12-9) will strive to attain success on its home turf as it hosts the Spartan Invitational starting Thursday.
The Spartans are scheduled to play in six games over the course of the tournament.
They will begin a matchup against University of Massachusetts Lowell (7-8) on Thursday night under the lights.
UMass-Lowell comes into the tournament as the strongest opponent that the Spartans will face.
Junior Courtney Cashman will be a player to watch for the River Hawks as she leads the team with 22 hits, 11 RBIs and 5 homers. She has been a clutch player for the offensive side of the UMass-Lowell team.
The Spartans will have a busy day on Friday as they play in a doubleheader against Iona College (0-8) and UMass-Lowell.
SJSU will need to capitalize on Iona College’s eight-game losing streak. It has been struggling to get in rhythm as it has not won a single game this season.
The Gaels will focus on gaining some momentum this tournament to attain their first win of the 2018-19 season.
On Saturday, SJSU will be competing in another doubleheader against University of the Pacific (6-12) and Iona College.
The Tigers struggle offensively as they put up a team batting average of .192.
SJSU defense will be able to shine defensively in their game against Pacific.
It will close the tournament with a third and final matchup against Iona College on Sunday.
It would be ideal for the Spartans to sweep the three games they play in against a struggling Iona College team.
The Spartans are looking to thrive during the Spartan Invitational as they carry momentum over from a two-game winning streak they hold.
In their last outing against Bucknell University, SJSU rallied three runs in the sixth inning to come back and beat the Bisons.
Sophomore pitcher Caroline Bowman tossed a complete-game and improved her record to 5-3. With a total of eight starts, she has pitched two complete-games this seasons.
It will be pivotal for the Spartans to continue to dominate on the mound and stand strong defensively.
First pitch on Friday will be at the Spartan Stadium at 6 p.m.
Follow Hannah on Twitter @hannah_halll