Game 6: San Jose State vs. CSUN

SAN JOSE STATE 13, CSUN 5 (6)

FORT COLLINS, CO – After falling behind, 5-0, San Jose State stormed back and rang up nine runs in the fifth inning before wrapping up a run-rule victory over CSUN in an elimination game Friday at the 2023 NISC.  
 
​SJSU will face Maryland or BYU later Friday, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s semifinals.
 
CSUN vaulted out of the dugout in the top of the first inning and took a 4-0 lead; Kaylee Escutia drove in two runs with a double and Gizella Vargos-Sandoval hit a two-run homer on the first pitch she saw, her third long ball of the season. In the second inning, Shaylan Whatman led off with a home run, her fifth in 2023, as CSUN (28-24) moved ahead 5-0.
 
Makenzie Hutchinson got San Jose State (27-29) on the board, leading off the bottom of the fourth with a home run, her second of the season. Taylor Squires singled to start the fifth, advanced to second on the play via error and later scored on a bases-loaded walk as the Spartans closed to 5-2.
 
After a pitching change, Hutchinson hit a grand slam on a full-count pitch to push San Jose State in front, 6-5. Adrianna Noriega kept up the beat with a two-run homer (her third of 2023) to make it 8-5. Aubrie Thomas bashed another two-run homer as the lead grew to 10-5.
 
In the sixth, Ashley Rico had an RBI groundout, and the game was wrapped up by a two-run double from Karizma Bergeson. Lacey Ham was outstanding in relief for SJSU, going five innings and allowing five hits and an earned run to go with four strikeouts.