April 20, 2007

Box Score

SAN JOSE, Calf. - Utah State's four-game Western Athletic Conference winning streak was snapped in the Aggies' 3-1 loss at San Jose State Friday afternoon in the opening game of the three-game weekend softball series at SJSU Field.

The loss extends USU's road game losing skid to five in a row, as the Aggies are now 14-26 overall and 4-6 in WAC play.

San Jose State won for the fourth time in last seven games in improving to having a 20-21 overall and 5-8 WAC ledger.

SJSU logged its fourth win over USU in a row and trimmed the Aggies' lead to 20-18 in the all-time series.

USU out-hit SJSU, 4-3, as both USU sophomore pitcher Lindsay Benson and SJSU pitcher Roxanne Bejarano fired no-hit ball for four and five innings, respectively.

Aggie seniors DH Jamie Fife and RF Lauren Guzman, along with junior SS Tara Evans and sophomore 1B Aubrie Stroman had hits. Evans and Fife took over the team lead for longest active hitting streak, both extending to a career-long eight games. Junior 3B Amy Schaible went without a hit, halting her nine game hitting streak.

The Spartans scored a run in the fifth putting together on a hit, a USU error and wild pitch.

Guzman led off the sixth with a hit, but was left stranded at second.

SJSU tacked on two more runs in the home half of the sixth with two more hits.

Down 3-0 entering the seventh inning, USU put together three straight hits, as Fife started the oun-out spark with a single, and Stroman followed with a one-bagger. Freshman Amanda Grow then pinch-ran for Stroman Evans then followed with a single to center, scoring Fife, and Grow and Evans moved up a base on the throw, putting Aggies on second and third with only one out.

However, the rally was thwarted with back-to-back outs without advancing the runners to end the game.

Benson gave way to freshman Stacey Ellingsworth with out out in the sixth, after only allowing two hits, while logging five strikeouts.

The two teams return to the diamond on Saturday to conclude their three-game WAC series with a doubleheader, starting at 1 p.m. (MT).

USU takes a three-game hiatus from WAC play, returning home to host Idaho State on Tuesday, April 24 in a 2 p.m. twinbill, before heading to Salt Lake City on Wednesday to take on Utah, in a single game starting at 3 p.m.

The Aggies then resume conference play with a three-game weekend series against league-leading Hawai'i, next Friday and Saturday, April 27-28. Friday's single game starts at 3 p.m., while Saturday's doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday is "Senior Day," when USU will honor its seven seniors.

Admission to all USU home games at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson field is free to the public.