Leata Sherlin led the San José State softball team to a pair of victories over Saint Mary’s on March 8, as the Spartans closed out non-conference play in the Silicon Valley Classic II. The Spartans won both games, with scores of 5-1 and 6-2, improving their record to 8-15.
The doubleheader began with Saint Mary’s scoring first in game one, but San José State quickly responded. Shay McDowell drove in two runs in the bottom of the first inning, bringing home Carly Cummings and Ahmiya Noriega. Additional runs came from a single by Cummings and an RBI single by Sherlin in the second inning. Gigi Ortega added a sacrifice bunt in the sixth to secure the win. Delaney Faus pitched all seven innings for San José State, allowing just one run and earning her second consecutive win.
In game two, Sherlin continued her strong performance with a single that scored Reina Zermeno in the first inning. The Spartans extended their lead with RBIs from Haley Reeve and Zermeno in the second inning. Although Saint Mary’s managed to score once each in the third and fourth innings, San José State pulled away late with a triple from Sherlin that brought home two more runs. McDowell followed up with another RBI single. Norah Coulsell earned the win after pitching over five innings, while Faus closed out the game for her first career save.
Notable performances included McDowell going 3-for-3 at bat in game one and Sherlin finishing both games with six hits and four RBIs combined. Other highlights were Deplitch stealing her first base of the season and Reeve recording her first hit and RBI.
The Spartans will begin conference play at home against UNLV on Friday, March 13.
