Spartan Daily Vol. 160 No. 29

Debates kick off A.S. elections

By Matthew Gonzalez STAFF WRITER

Debates for the 2023-2024 Associated Students Board of Directors election were held in the Student Union on Monday afternoon.

Candidates were allowed to briefly introduce themselves and answer questions asked by those in attendance.

Twelve positions were debated on, with five only having one candidate present.

Voting began on Monday at 3 p.m. and end Thursday at 8 a.m.

Students can vote online using their SJSU ONE login.

Voting booths will be open outside Clark Hall, on 7th Street Plaza and in the housing quad on Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

President

Dominic Treseler, political science junior and current A.S. director of legislative affairs, said his experience working with departing A.S. President Nina Chuang has allowed him to be a part of tangible change at SJSU.

“Just to note, I’ve kind of been Nina’s right hand man on all of these initiatives,” he said. “When we learned that Title IX had not engaged with our students, we meet and really push on a system level to make sure that these new Title IX implementations were being spoken to throughout the CSU.”

Treseler also said there are subtle systemic affronts to Native American culture at SJSU that he wants to address if elected.

“The fact that we use chief so often linguistically, like, even our own chief electoral officer, this is something that is probably a little problematic,” he said. “It’s just something that people don’t think about, so I’m looking into those uncommon, deeply structural

SJSU expands online learning opportunities

By Alina Ta STAFF WRITER

San Jose State is expanding its fully online program that launched last August.

Educational and community leadership senior Christopher Padua said he is grateful he doesn’t have to walk on to SJSU’s campus.

“I do find myself being really grateful that I may never have to step a single foot on campus if I genuinely never wanted to,” he said.

Padua said although he lives 15 minutes away from campus, he doesn’t have to attend in-person classes because he attends classes online.

“Regardless of whether I lived in San Jose or not, SJSU Online affords me so much flexibility that I otherwise may not have had,” he said.

Sarah Gordon, managing director for the SJSU Online Student Success, said SJSU Online is an initiative to expand access to higher education through online schooling.

She said the program is targeted toward students who are considered “non-traditional” or “adult learners students.”

Gordon said there are many students who have completed college courses in the past, but were unable to complete their degrees because of unforeseen life circumstances.

She said many of these students are working full-time and may also be providing for their own families.

“It’s just, you know, a way for students to fit in, you know, the

coursework and the learning into their already busy lives,” she said.

Gordon said because of the way the classes are designed, students are able to complete their course load on their own time instead of at designated times of the day.

Padua said he prefers the modality because it allows him to balance time between having two jobs and a social life.

“Whether I’m at home or outside just constantly thinking of, you know, when my homework is due and when I [get it] done, as well as when I need my work to be done,” he said.

Padua said the classes he is taking through SJSU Online are different from the courses he took during the COVID-19 restrictions.

“In contrast to my regular classes from when we were online during the pandemic . . . my teachers have a [much] firmer grip on using Zoom,” he said.

Ronald Rogers, vice provost for academic innovation and institutional effectiveness, said it’s important to distinguish between what happened during the COVID-19 restrictions and what SJSU Online is attempting to achieve.

Rogers said during the coronavirus pandemic, the online classes were built quickly, in a reactionary state, because the university was forced to shut down campus.

“[We were] kind of forced to get professional development to try to figure it out,” he said.

Rogers said at the beginning of the pandemic, many professors

Protesters rally against nationwide abortion pill halt

By Mat Bejarano STAFF WRITER

Community organizers gathered outside of San Jose’s City Hall on Sunday to protest the recent halt in Texas of a drug used for abortion.

On April 7, U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk challenged the Food and Drugs Administrations approval of the drug mifepristone, according to a Monday NPR article.

Mifepristone is the first of two oral medications that are used in a medical abortion and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2000, according to a Planned Parenthood article.

Mike Paradela, a community organizer for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said he’s concerned with the current state of reproductive rights in the country.

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization is a group that fights for socialism in America,

according to its website frso.org.

“I’m here because even though I can’t have a kid or I can’t be the one to carry it, that does not mean that people I don’t know can or will be affected by this,” Paradela said.

Medical abortions made up 53% of all facilitybased abortions in the U.S. in 2020, according to a Feb. 24, 2022 Guttmacher Institute study. Paradela said he doesn’t want a future where people are forced to have children they may neglect.

“Everyone who can have a kid is affected by this and I’m here because I care about these issues because attacks on one person and one community is just a way to attack another community,” Paradela said.

The drug is still available in Texas as Judge Kasmaryk gave the Food and Drug Administration seven days to appeal, according to a Sunday PBS article.

MATTHEW GONZALEZ | SPARTAN DAILY A.S. director of legislative affairs Dominic Treseler speaks during the debate for the upcoming A.S. Board of Director’s election on Monday. Treseler is running for the position of A.S. president.

ALINA TA | SPARTAN DAILY

A protester from the Freedom Road Socialist Society chants and throws her fist in the air during a rally for reproductive rights in front of San Jose City Hall on Sunday afternoon.

DEBATE

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pieces of racism.”

Public health sophomore Sarab Multani said he wants to increase the sense of belonging for all students while also expanding upon academic resources at SJSU.

Multani said coming to SJSU from Los Angeles has opened his eyes to the struggles students from outside the Bay Area face in terms of making connections around campus.

“One of the things I bring is that external perspective,” he said. “A lot of students at San Jose State see A.S. as, like, a high school student body, when in reality it’s much larger than that, we have the power to implement real change not only on this campus but our community.”

Multani also said not being a part of A.S. will help breath fresh air into the way strategies are developed and implemented, as well as changing the ways SJSU students view the organization.

Vice President Ariana Lacson, biomedical engineering sophomore and current A.S. director of co-curricular affairs, said she has three main initiatives, including mental health resources, diversity and inclusion.

Lacson said juggling coursework and involvement in other organizations is a common struggle shared by students at SJSU, and is

SJSU ONLINE

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a primary motivation for bettering mental health resources.

Lacson also said she wants to highlight the university’s diverse nature.

“I want to highlight and appreciate the cultural diversity we have here through advocacy and programming and overall enhance student welfare by increasing communication between the student body and the board,” she said. The second candidate Safiullah Saif, software engineering sophomore and current A.S. director of academic affairs, said his experience in his current position has successfully primed him for potential responsibilities he may have as vice president.

Saif said developing a conflict resolution procedure is one of his main objectives.

“I don’t think we have an official procedure for resolving conflicts,” he said. “I feel like we have to make that procedure so that we have a basis and a template as to what steps to take.”

He also said being a set of ears for students’ concerns will bolster a more authentic relationship between A.S. and the SJSU community.

Controller

Idan Belau, sophomore economics and business administration double major, said broadening A.S.’s outreach to more recognized student organizations and notifying them of potential funding opportunities is at

tried to teach online classes the same way they were teaching classes in person.

He said SJSU Online is designed with the goal of trying to do something different.

“We have a very intentional approach, and we’re employing the best practices and instructional design, and instructional technology to really create an optimal online learning experience for students,” Rogers said.

Gordon said one of the main benefits of having SJSU Online available for students is it brings education to an “entirely new and different audience.”

Rogers said being able to come to campus in person is a privilege.

“You have to be able to get yourself there. You have to be able to afford to take the time to do that in the middle of the day,” he said.

Rogers said the University of California system is planning to discontinue all of its online classes for undergraduate programs.

“So it really falls upon the California State University system and campuses like San Jose State to create those pathways and to open up access,” he said.

Rogers said SJSU Online gives students who previously left the university an opportunity to come back and finish their degree.

“The reality is that we have this very large population of potential learners who aren’t able to finish their degree,” he said.

Rogers said these courses are created in partnership between faculty members and an instructional design team to help create online courses from scratch.

Padua also said there is still a social aspect involved when taking online courses.

“Obviously, I may never meet my classmates in person, but I’ve honestly met a lot of . . . good friends or classmates that

PROTEST

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President Joe Biden appealed Judge Kacsmaryk’s decision on the same day in a statement on whitehouse.gov

“If this ruling were to stand, then there will be virtually no prescription, approved by the FDA, that would be safe from these kinds of political, ideological attacks,” Biden said.

He said Judge Kacsmaryk’s ruling is unprecedented.

“Vice President Harris and I will continue to lead the fight to protect a woman’s right to an abortion, and to make her own decisions about her own health,” Biden said.

San Jose resident Sondra Bazzoti said the right to abortions is a topic that connects to her.

“I know people that have had abortions

the forefront of his campaign.

He said he will look into past ways money has been allocated and base his actions on what has worked and what hasn’t.

Dhruv Varshney, computer engineering junior and current A.S. director of sustainability affairs, said he will make it his mission to ensure every dollar given to A.S. goes back to students.

Varshney said improving A.S.’s relations with student organizations, via advertising money that could provide funding, will be made essential if he’s elected.

“I want to make sure by strengthening our relationship with student organizations by making connections and marketing that money,” he said. “I want to make sure that each and every one of you and each and every student organization receives the money they have given back into their pockets.”

Communications

Computer engineering junior Sidhant Sadawarti said he wants to create more interactive events and create a more diverse campus people can engage themselves in.

Sadawarti also said he wants to catch students’ attention through improving A.S.’s social media presence.

“Social media is the biggest thing, so I would try to make social media more interactive by creating interactive graphic animations and creating live sessions and Q&A

sessions which are not done right now,” he said.

Journalism senior D’Netrus Chevis-Rose said he has the knowledge and incentive to be the A.S. director of communications because of his role as social media manager and public relations chair of his fraternity, Delta Sigma Phi.

Chevis-Rose said he has had the opportunity to meet students from outside the greater San Jose area and feels hosting events for students from different geographic areas can be a good opportunity to build a sense of community.

Academic Affairs

Computer science freshman Nikharv Domadiya said his campaign is focused on helping students navigate various aspects of campus life such as new schedules and adjusting to different classroom environments.

He also said he plans to develop different workshops and information sessions to ensure academic success.

Data science sophomore Diya Doshi said she encouraged dialogue between students regarding issues they are having academically. She said talking about struggles with peers is more comfortable than speaking to a faculty advisor.

Doshi said she plans to implement Discord channels as an informal stream of communication between students, creating an empathetic environment.

Business administration

freshman Roy Zorba shared a similar sentiment, he said engagement with students about their academic needs is crucial.

Zorba said he has plans to grow different approaches to solve these instructional issues.

“This includes utilizing social media platforms to create polls and surveys, hosting virtual meetings, doing online surveys and starting on social media campaigns,” he said.

Intercultural Affairs

Global studies junior Ariana Shah said it is essential the director of intercultural affairs attends board meetings for ethnic, cultural, international and non-traditional groups. She also said she wants to encourage dialogue with different centers to better understand their needs and become more aware of discrimination they may be facing.

Communications junior Bertha Cazares said getting groups to interact with one another is important.

“I would like to possibly create a group that meets either monthly or every other month to connect with each other and just make sure that everybody is being heard and had their opinions and concerns voiced as well,” she said.

become friends because of something that I see behind them,” he said.

Padua said he once made a friend because he recognized in their background that they owned an arcade cabinet for a Ninja Turtles game.

“The social aspect is still there,” he said.

“I mean, [we still can] make side jokes.”

Padua said he can still interact with his friends online by messaging other students.

He also said another benefit to taking online classes is he can come to office hours in his pajamas.

“And then after the meeting, I’ll go eat and then take a nap,” Padua said. “There’s less work to do in an online environment is what I’m trying to say.”

Sarika Pruthi, associate professor and program director for the College of Business, said her college is developing courses with SJSU Online for the upcoming

when they were really young,” Bazzoti said. “If they weren’t able to get a safe abortion, I know they would have tried to get it on their own illegally.”

She said she thinks Judge Kacsmaryk’s decision will lead to more abortion rights revoked.

“I’m very disheartened by the ruling and, it’s just, it’s scary,” Bazzoti said.

With the appeal from the Department of Justice, the Texas ruling will be heard by the Fifth Circuit of Appeals and may ultimately end up on the desk of the Supreme Court, according to a Monday NPR article.

“I thought having a woman vice president would help, but it’s not helping and I’m still seeing our rights getting stripped away,” Bazzoti said.

Diana Lopez Bartolo, a political science junior at San Jose State who serves as a member of Students for a Democratic Society, said it was important to have her voice heard.

Fall 2023 semester.

Pruthi said asynchronous teaching is not new to her faculty members, but they wanted to make sure certain aspects of online learning were explained.

“We wanted to make sure we laid out our own expectations,” she said.

Pruthi also said she and her faculty members want to communicate that they are serious about their courses being rigorous.

“You know, we want the faculty to establish academic rigor as they do in other classes,” she said.

Pruthi said the instructional design team wants three to four months of development time with her faculty members to develop the courses and to make sure they understand what tools and techniques are available to them.

She said in Fall 2023, the College of

“It’s important not just for women, but also for all the people to fight against [Kacsmark’s Ruling] because it’s a violation against women’s right,” Lopez Bartolo said.

Lopez Bartolo said since the 2022 Supreme Court’s overturning of “Roe v. Wade” women’s rights have been stripped away.

“I feel that being denied access to this bill in particular, is also going to

Business will be offering online courses from the general business concentration.

“Given the population that we are serving, I think it’s very exciting. This initiative is really tremendous because it gives students the opportunity to come back,” Pruthi said. “These are the ones who have not had a chance to complete their degree.”

She said their goal at the College of Business is to allow students to be exposed to these opportunities as much as possible within the constraints of mostly asynchronous classes.

“It opens up new doors, gives them networking opportunities,” Pruthi said.

affect the lives of other young women,” Lopez Bartolo said. “Their lives can be completely changed.”

Follow Matthew Gonzalez on Twitter @MattG2001

COURTESY OF BRIAN CHEUNG DOOLEY

SJSU decides whether to puff or pass

By Dominique Huber STAFF WRITER

Marijuana has become more acceptable in today’s climate, but some students at San Jose State have differing opinions.

Because of SJSU’s Safe and DrugFree Schools and Communities Act, no one is allowed to hold or use marijuana anywhere on campus, according to an SJSU webpage.

The university doesn’t allow exceptions for medical purposes and it doesn’t accept medical marijuana cards, according to the same webpage.

Biomedical engineering sophomore Nourdean Shraim said a training program he took as a freshman greatly influenced his view on weed.

“Before I went to university, I kind of took it as ‘Hey my parents told me it’s bad, so it’s bad,’ but I wasn’t 100% against it,” Shraim said. “But then, when I took the student training for what weed does to your brain . . . my stance is borderline it’s just as bad, if not even worse, than alcohol.”

SJSU offers a number of resources to deter students from smoking marijuana, including mandatory awareness training on alcohol and substance use for incoming students.

Shraim said he believes many of the people in college who smoke a lot of weed have fallen victim to a lack of information on its consequences.

“People are well aware what alcohol does to their bodies and that’s why I believe that people are knowingly getting themselves into trouble with alcohol. Weed, not so much,” he said.

According to an email from the Student Wellness Center, some of the consequences of smoking weed include addiction, negative mental health effects, memory

and learning issues, impaired concentration and attention, among others. Most of these effects are associated with long-term marijuana use, according to the same email.

Shraim said he believes the only acceptable scenario to use marijuana is for medicinal purposes.

A sociology senior, who preferred to remain anonymous for privacy reasons and will be referred to as Jane, said she smokes at least five times a week and tries to make sure she doesn’t do it everyday.

“I have asthma, not going to lie, so it’s not the best for my health,” she said.

Jane said because of school, family duties, two jobs,

extracurriculars and a social life to maintain, her mind is constantly racing, and smoking weed helps to slow it down.

SJSU’s Student Wellness Center said this effect is to be expected when using marijuana, but it’s not the only one.

“When someone starts to use cannabis, they can feel calm, relaxed and sleepy. Their heart beats faster, their reaction time slows, their eyes get bloodshot, eyesight can blur and they may lose sense of time,” the Student Wellness Center wrote in an email.

Jane said the time-slowing, nerve-calming substance is just what she needs at the end of a busy day.

“After I smoke I feel numb, not in a bad way though,” Jane said. “My mind constantly runs

throughout the day . . . when I [smoke] at the end of the day, it’s nice and I get to relax.”

Another sociology senior, who also preferred to remain anonymous and will be referred to as Mary, said she did not have a relaxed experience with weed in the Bay Area.

Mary said before moving to the bay, she smoked weed casually and in social settings on and off for about six years.

She said one of her first times smoking in the Bay Area was with a man whose apartment she was thinking about renting a room in.

Mary said after speaking with the man for a bit, he offered to share a joint with her.

“I only took, like, two puffs off of a joint from this person that I didn’t really know and I was

just out of my mind, like, basically couldn’t even function at all,” Mary said. “I was scared because I didn’t know the guy . . . I was trying to figure out how to even get away from there.”

Ever since then, Mary said she has not resumed smoking regularly the way she used to. She said she still believes smoking weed is fine as long as it’s consensual and in moderation.

“If students make the decision to use cannabis . . . it can be tempting to want to consume more to feel the effects faster, but this can lead to consuming too much and potentially having a bad reaction,” the Student Wellness Center wrote in the same email.

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PHOTO VIA CANVA

Robots steel the show at SJSU

1 2 4 5

3

#1: Two robots compete in a boxed-in area racing to complete their assigned tasks Saturday evening at the Student Union.

#2: Two competitors from team Boba Bots from Mills High School repair their robot after completing in another round of competition

#3: Two competitors from Crescent Wings Robots prepare for their robot for their next match.

#4: Matteo Bedolla from Otter Bots, a team from Napa County, performs maintenance on his team’s robot.

#5: Competitors align their robots in their designated spots to complete maintenance before another round of competition starts.

‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ is a hit

By Jeremy Martin SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Before “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” released on Wednesday, I was critical on how it should be made and didn’t think about how much of a masterpiece it could become.

I initially thought the movie would be disappointing.

Having been a big Mario fan for years, I saw it as nothing more than a cash grab and Hollywood’s opportunity to attach several big name celebrities to the project.

From the moment I sat down and the movie started, I was pleasantly surprised with every scene.

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” proved me wrong and serves as a fun, entertaining family-friendly film that stays extremely loyal to the source material.

It bombards audiences with a plethora of call-backs and references to the video games around every corner.

From the integration of video game system startup sounds, to the outstanding music scores that play at just the right time and the reference of real-world Nintendo games, this movie has it all.

Generous amounts of Easter eggs and fan service are spread throughout the entire movie. These moments made me smile and even caused me to get emotional

during certain scenes.

The movie works really well as an animated film and looks amazing with its environments.

The character designs made each character look as accurate to the video games as possible.

While the cast of the movie did a really good job, I do feel that many of the voices could’ve been tweaked a bit to more accurately portray their video game character counterparts.

I had initially thought the casting in this movie would fall completely flat, specifically with Chris Pratt being the voice of Mario and Seth Rogan voicing Donkey Kong.

But these two couldn’t have done a better job.

The movie was so fun and entertaining that I completely forgot I had any problem with the casting of these two characters at all.

Both Pratt and Rogan blended in with the goofy happy-golucky nature of the film so well.

I didn’t even care that their voices weren’t 100% accurate to what I’d think the characters would sound like. They harmonized in well with the overall nature of the film and somehow made their voices work anyway.

In fact, Donkey Kong’s introduction ended up being one of my favorite scenes in the entire movie and seemed to make so much sense with Rogan’s trademark

infectious laugh.

Keegan-Michael Key, Anya Taylor-Joy and Charlie Day did a good job as Toad, Princess Peach, and Luigi. However, their voices could’ve been adjusted more to accurately portray their characters.

I didn’t really feel their voices matched with the overall nature of the film enough for this not to be as much of an issue as with Pratt and Rogan.

On the other hand, Jack Black completely steals the show in this movie. His voice sounded the most accurate to his character.

Black’s voice sounded just like how I’d think a full-fledged Bowser voice would sound like and his naturally goofy sense of humor meshed perfectly with the character’s evil personality. He could play a convincing villain in one scene, and then make Bowser take on the comedic goofy charm in the next sequence, with no issues whatsoever.

I also credit this movie for giving Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach a proper backstory.

The movie does a good job at explaining not only how Mario and Luigi got to the Mushroom Kingdom, but also where they started to begin with.

The film really succeeded in explaining how Princess Peach first ended up in the Mushroom Kingdom and how she came to be princess of the toads.

At the same time, it doesn’t take a lot of liberties with the source material, but when it does, it’s done in just the right way and isn’t over-explained.

One major gripe I have is with the movie’s runtime. The movie is only an hour and a half long. Believe me, it goes by fast.

Throughout the film, I caught myself getting immersed in the environment, but never really having enough time to take anything in.

While it kept me entertained and never made me feel like the story dragged on, I really wished the movie was longer.

I would’ve liked to see more of the environments and see more characters I know and love from the video games.

Many of the Easter eggs and references I saw felt like

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie”

Rating:

Directed by: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic

Genre: Adventure/comedy

blink-and-you-miss-it scenes that only a hardcore Super Mario Bros. fan would spot.

On the other hand, the character development in this movie is on another level.

Throughout the entire movie, there’s a great deal of character development seen between Mario, Donkey Kong and Princess Peach.

However, Mario’s growth was the most important one to me. There’s a theme of perseverance with Mario throughout the entire film, much like how the video games train players to get through levels with multiple attempts in a row, improving each time around.

While the film’s voice acting could be improved for certain characters and the film could use some pacing improvements, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is a fun and family-friendly film that I recommend for Super Marios Bros. fans of all ages.

This movie would give any Super Mario Bros. fan the chance to sit back and relax, complete with a literal Easter egg for anyone who stays through the end credits for several bonus scenes.

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GRAPHIC BY VANESSA TRAN

GRAPHIC

Spartans lose to No. 5 Cal at home

By Dominique Huber STAFF WRITER

The San Jose State women’s water polo team played the University of California, Berkeley on Saturday in preparation for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship at the end of the month.

Despite a valiant effort from the Spartans, SJSU fell at home 9-4 to the No. 5 ranked team in the country.

Senior attacker Lior Ben David recorded two points with a goal and an assist. Driver Clarissa Wandinger scored a goal and recorded a steal.

SJSU head coach Beth Harberts said, even in the loss, she was proud of the Spartans’ effort against a top-ranked team.

“Cal’s a strong adversary for us,” Harberts said. “They’ve been as high ranked as 3rd, so the fact that we’re able to hold a top five team under 10 goals was a tremendous effort from our team.”

At the sound of the starting buzzer, Ben David’s arms slapped the water, pulling her body toward the ball to snatch it and secure SJSU the first sprint of the game.

Cal got off to a strong start, scoring the first two goals of the game. At the 1:50 mark of the first period, Ben David scored a goal to tie the game at 2-2.

By the end of the first quarter, the two teams were tied 2-2.

The Golden Bears took control of the match in the second period, outscoring the Spartans 4-1 going into halftime.

At the intermission, Cal led 6-3.

The Golden Bears’ defense held the Spartans in the second half and cruised to a road victory.

Although the tie was short-lived, Harberts said she

admired her team’s effort.

“Our team’s been very motivated in how we’re trying to approach these games so the mindset, I think, is pretty strong,” Harberts said.

The Spartans entered Saturday’s match on a three-game losing streak.

Goalie Hannah Henry was one of Saturday’s star players for the Spartans.

She blocked 16 of the Golden Bears’ shots, a feat Harberts said was no simple task.

“Hannah did a great job. She had 16 saves for us, which is a tremendous number, especially against a top ranked team,” Harberts said.

The Spartans are currently 12-15 and will compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship during the weekend of April 28.

SJSU is hosting the tournament for the first time in 12 years.

Four of the top five collegiate women’s water polo teams in the country will be in attendance.

“Our conference is the premiere league in terms of all the college conferences that are out there… and we’re hosting it,” Harberts said. “We’re just excited to be able to highlight our campus and our team.”

Henry said the team is looking forward to competing.

“We’re really excited to be able to compete and play,” Henry said. “It’s our last tournament of the year so it’s just gonna be really important for us the next few weeks to really prepare.”

Sophomore driver Maiken Pardon, who scored the Spartans’ first goal of the match, said team spirit and communication are essential to the team’s performance.

“The closer you get, then the better you can work as a team. That definitely starts

outside the pool,” Pardon said. With about 14 moving bodies in the pool at any given time during a match, Pardon said both these skills make a big difference in the heat of a game.

“When you build good teamwork, you’re able to communicate well with your teammates and know where they wanna go and you can be able to read them,” Pardon said.

Cal started out with a 2-point lead less than halfway through the first quarter, but the Spartans quickly closed the gap, beginning with their first goal by Pardon.

In the span of six seconds, four Spartans held possession of the ball, each passing it to the next, with the last of them being Pardon.

SJSU wins home series against Colorado State

By Christine Tran STAFF WRITER

The San Jose State softball team won two of three games against Colorado State University this weekend at the Spartan Softball Stadium.

On Thursday, the Spartans won a hard fought game 5-4.

On Friday, SJSU lost in five innings 10-2.

On the final day of the three-game series, the Spartans won their final game of the series on Saturday 6-2.

This is the second Mountain West three-game series SJSU has won at home this season and the 17th game it has won so far.

Although they lost on Friday, the Spartans started off strong in the first inning.

Freshman infielder Reina Zermeno hit an RBI single, allowing her to go to first base, and senior infielder Alyssa Graham was at third base and reached home, scoring one run for SJSU.

CSU led the game by the second inning with a score of 3-1.

After no runs were scored for both teams, the Rams managed to score runs with five consecutive hits and three consecutive extra-base hits, setting the score at 7-1.

The Spartans didn’t score again until the fifth inning despite their efforts.

Graham hit one for three, allowing outfielder and junior utility Ashley Rico to run home and score the second and final point for SJSU.

Graham stole her sixth base of the season in Friday’s game and currently has 24 RBIs, which is the best on the team.

Sophomore outfielder Jules Ronquillo stole her third base this

season during Friday’s game.

Graham said she was disappointed with the final score of 10-2 after the game ended.

“I think we came out of the game pretty flat, letting them score those home runs,” she said. “We tried to bounce back, but we never fully got all of our energy or momentum back.”

Graham said the Spartans needed to come together more and have fun on the field in game three of the series.

“It’s something that we can bounce back from,” Graham said.

Head softball coach Tammy Lohmann said she had high hopes for the team in Saturday’s game.

“You know, I hope they can take this game and flush it in the next 24 hours and come out tomorrow and be more competitive in every aspect of the game and just fight every inning and really just challenge them to every inning, doesn’t matter what the other team does, it’s how we respond back and what we do,” Lohmann said.

She said that SJSU lost momentum in the third inning, when both the Spartans and the Rams did not score points for their teams.

“They started gaining [the momentum] back a little bit. And then, when Colorado State turned around and had that big fifth inning, I think we just kinda lost,” Lohmann said.

In one swift movement, she dodged a block from an opposing player and hurled the ball straight past the goalie’s fingertips and into the net.

“Definitely when I go in to shoot, it’s like, I wanna finish this. I wanna make the goal,” Pardon said. “It’s a bummer when you miss, but it’s like, you just gotta keep going through it. Obviously you hope you make it.”

Cal’s offense proved to be too much for the Spartans at the end of the day.

Henry said as a goalie, she tried to take each of the Bears’ goals in stride.

“Personally it’s harder for me just because I am a goalie, so it’s harder to continue to be scored on,” Henry said. “I take the L’s and stuff, but I

think that with how well we played today, we’re hoping to keep the momentum.”

The Spartans will play in their first match of the MPSF Championship on April 28 at 11:00 a.m.

Harberts encouraged students to attend and show support for the team during the three-day conference.

“Come out to MPSF! I think it’s gonna be really exciting,” Harberts said. “The more Spartans we can have in the crowd and kind of introduce our program as well to the campus, you know, we want everyone to come here and be rowdy and loud for us.”

SPARTAN SPOTLIGHT

On Saturday, ESPN reporter Marc Spears reported that SJSU junior guard Omari Moore has declared for the 2023 NBA Draft Moore averaged 17.4 points, 4.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds per game for the Spartans this season

Moore won Mountain West Player of the year this past season and led SJSU to its first postseason win in school history

According to ESPN, Moore is ranked 86th in its NBA Draft Prospect Rankings

PHOTO COURTESY OF SPARTAN ATHLETICS INSTAGRAM

Sophomore pitcher Ashley Goard embraces with junior catcher Makenzie Hutchinson after the Spartans’ win over Colorado State on Thursday night.

ENRIQUE GUTIERREZ-SEVILLA | SPARTAN DAILY

SJSU senior attacker, Lior Ben David, attempts a pass during Saturday’s match against Cal.