Next Game:
Fresno State
3/8/2026 | 10 a.m.
Mar. 08 (Sun) / 10 a.m.
Fresno State
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Santa Clara softball and San José State split the doubleheader in the Battle of the Alameda on Saturday at Spartan Softball Field with the Spartans winning the first game 3-2 and the Broncos taking the second game 4-1.
Game 1: San José State 3 – Santa Clara 2
HOW IT HAPPENED:
San José State (6-14) scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 3-2 lead and held on to defeat Santa Clara by the same score. The Spartans took advantage of a Bronco error as Leataataofiti Sherlin singled in the tying run and Shay McDowell delivered the go-ahead run on a double against Cari Ferguson for a pair of unearned runs.
In the top of the seventh, with two outs, pinch runner Claire Krotine stole second but was thrown out at third from the centerfielder on the catcher’s overthrow. The play ended the game as Norah Coulsell picked up her first save coming in relief of the winning pitcher Delaney Faus who went five innings.
Reina Zermeno scored the first run of the game in the home half of the first. She hit a double off Ferguson and scored on a wild pitch.
Santa Clara (9-13) tied it up in the third on Cairah Curran’s RBI double.
Taryn Clements put the Broncos up 2-1 in the fourth to plate Elle Merlino who led off the inning with a single, moved over to second on Hazyl Gray’s sacrifice bunt and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Faus won her third game as she combined with Coulsell gave up just three Bronco hits.
Ferguson went the distance in the losing effort dropping to 5-6 on the season.
Zermeno and McDowell had two hits apiece for SJSU.
Game 2: Santa Clara 4 – San José State 1
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Ellison Schroeder tossed seven strong innings, scattering four hits and one run, in the Broncos 4-1 win. She kept the Spartans hitless through the first 4 1/3 innings before Taylor Chillingworth’s bunt single.
Santa Clara (10-13) scored three of the four runs on RBI triples by Robynn Balmediano, Rebecca Rubio and Cairah Curran in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings. The only other run not scored on a triple was a single by Rubio in the final inning who finished 2-for-4.
Trailing 2-0, San José State (6-15) had a golden opportunity as they loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth. But they were only able to muster one run on an RBI hit by Shay McDowell. With one out, Schroeder induced a 6-4-3 double play from pinch hitter Samantha Blachly to keep the damage at just one run in the inning.
The Broncos added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh courtesy of Curran and Rubio.
Schroeder threw her second complete game of the season to improve to 3-5 on the year.
Coulsell was the losing pitcher of record giving up two runs in 4 2/3 innings.
NEXT UP:
Santa Clara plays another doubleheader, this time against Fresno State at home, on Sunday. First pitch is at 10 a.m. PT.
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