USU swept by San Jose in 3 games
The Aggie softball losing streak was extended to 13 games after San Jose State left Logan with three one-run victories, 2-1, 9-8 and 3-2.
Utah State (3-35, 0-11) now has a 2-9 record in games decided by a single run this season and is still seeking its first WAC win. The Aggies also fell to 0-7 at home.
“It’s tough to take,” Coach Lonny Sargent said. “It gives you a sickening feeling when you lose like that.”
In the first game, played Friday, both teams were held scoreless through four innings until Aubrie Stroman singled to send Jeanine Hernandez home for a 1-0 Aggie lead at the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Spartans had single runs in the sixth and seventh innings with two outs on the board to pick up the victory.
Quela Leonhardt failed to reach base for the first time in 19 games.
Game two featured considerably more offense.
The Spartans opened the game with a five-run inning, but the Aggies answered back with three runs in the first inning.
Utah State jumped to a three-run lead with four runs in the fourth inning and another in the fifth and carried an 8-5 lead into the final inning.
San Jose eked out the win on a three-run homerun by Mandy Winkley in the seventh inning.
Leonhardt started a new streak by hitting two homeruns in the game.
“I just wanted to come out and hit because I didn’t have a very good performance yesterday,” Leonhardt said.
In the final game of Saturday’s doubleheader, San Jose jumped to a 2-1 lead, but Sara Fleming hit a single homerun to tie the game in the sixth inning.
Again, the Spartans put the game away in the seventh by scoring in the top of the inning and holding off an Aggie run in the bottom of the inning.
San Jose walked three players in the midst of two outs to give catcher Fleming a chance to pull out a victory for Utah State.
Fleming had homered twice in the two Saturday games, but popped up to end the game.
“I just wanted to get the job done,” Fleming said. “It was a lot of pressure.”
“We just struggled finishing the game and putting people away,” Sargent said.
“It’s frustrating, but there’s nothing we can do.”
Fleming, who is second in the WAC in times getting hit by a pitch this season was hit twice Saturday. A third possible hit was argued on the field.
“I crowd the plate because the inside pitch is my pitch,” Fleming said. “I crowd it to get them to throw it there and they try to come in and they come in a little too much and they hit me a lot.”
-benwalker@cc.usu.edu