Feb. 21, 2014
San Jose, Calif. --- San Jose State dropped its second consecutive 1-run game with a 3-2 loss in 10 innings to UC Santa Barbara at Municipal Stadium Friday night. Robby Nesovic's 10th-inning RBI-double down the left field line gave the Gauchos the game-winning run.
"The scoreboard may indicate that we played well, but we didn't," said Spartans' head coach Dave Nakama. "We have to do the little things and execute. We have a standard to meet here and we just aren't doing it."
SJSU was 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position during the ninth and 10th innings. Kyle Gallegos stole second base with no out in the bottom of the tenth and the Spartans grounded out three times to end the game.
Johnny Melero pitched 5.2 innings as the Spartan starter. He scattered eight hits and gave up one run before being lifted in favor of Kalei Contrades in the sixth. "I thought Melero did a great job throwing strikes tonight," Nakama said.
D.J. Sharabi (0-1) pitched a lights-out ninth inning, but gave up the hit to Nesovic in the 10th.
Matt Lopez and Brett Bautista had multi-hit games for San Jose State. Lopez tied the game in the second with an RBI-single, and Bautista gave SJSU a 2-1 lead with an RBI single of his own in the fourth.
It was Tyler Kuresa's base knock up the middle that tied the game up in the top of the eighth and sent the game into extra innings.
"When you play close games it's the little things that count," said Nakama. We strikeout with bases loaded and just didn't make plays when we needed them."
The Spartans will try and end a five-game slide tomorrow in game two of the series against UC Santa Barbara. Lefty Jonathan Hernandez (0-1, 5.06 ERA) will take the mound facing Gauchos right-hander Shane Bieber (0-0, 0.00).