The San José State softball team defeated UNLV 5-2 on March 13 to open Mountain West Conference play at home. Delaney Faus led the Spartans with a total of 5.2 innings pitched and a career-high five strikeouts.
The win marks the first time since March 17, 2023, that San José State has opened conference play at home with a victory. The game saw Faus pitch the first five innings, allowing only one run on a UNLV home run in the third inning. Norah Coulsell took over for the next 1.1 innings, giving up one run in the seventh before Faus returned to close out the game and secure the win.
After falling behind early, San José State responded in the fourth inning with two runs. Leata Sherlin hit into a fielder’s choice to score Reina Zermeno from third base, followed by Taylor Chillingworth bringing in Carly Cummings on another fielder’s choice. In the fifth inning, Sherlin singled to second base to score Ahmiya Noriega, and Shay McDowell added another run with a single through the right side of the infield.
The Spartans extended their lead in the sixth when Isabella Sandoval drew a bases-loaded walk to bring Haley Reeve home. Zermeno finished the night going two-for-three at bat and scoring twice, including her fifth double of the season. Sherlin contributed two runs batted in (RBI), while McDowell, Chillingworth, and Sandoval each collected an RBI as well.
San José State will continue its opening conference series against UNLV tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.
