March 29, 2014
Pullman, Wash. --- San Jose State baseball finished on the losing end of two contests against Washington State in nonconference action at Bailey-Brayton Field on Saturday.
The Spartans (8-20) fell to the Cougars (11-13) 12-9 in game two of the series which was resumed today after being suspended due to rain Friday night. Game three of the series ended with a 4-2 win for the Cougars who now own a 2-1 series lead with one more to play tomorrow afternoon.
"We should have gotten out of here today with at least one win," said Spartans' head coach Dave Nakama. "We missed some plays that would have been important outs. You just can't do that against good teams."
The two teams began the day tied 4-4 in the top of the fifth inning of Friday night's suspended game. Play resumed as Sheldon Daquioag belted a bases-clearing double to give SJSU a 7-4 lead. Matt Lopez, Matt Carroll and Kyle Gallegos all scored on the play. Alec de Watteville gave SJSU an 8-4 lead with an RBI-single to bring around Daquioag later in the frame. Daquioag finished with a career-high four RBI.
The Spartans took an 8-5 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Cougars quickly turned the game upside down with seven runs on seven hits. Six consecutive batters reached base safely against a committee of SJSU relievers to start the inning. With three runs already in and the game tied 8-8, Yale Rosen blasted a grand slam. The shot over the wall in right-center field put Washington State up 12-8 and buried the Spartans for their first loss in the series.
Myles Richard (1-2) threw 10 pitches to four batters and failed to record an out in the Cougars' eighth on the way to a loss.
"I thought we had the right guys out there," Nakama said. "They just didn't pitch well."
Logan Handzlik took to the hill for SJSU at the start of game three. He allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits in a season-high eight innings of work. After allowing a run n the bottom of the first, Handzlik settled down and limited damage throughout the middle innings.
San Jose State took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning with four hits. Carroll singled and scored on a Lopez sacrifice fly and Kalei Contrades came up with a go-ahead RBI single which scored Brett Bautista.
Washington State's P.J. Jones led off the bottom of the sixth with a strikeout, but reach on a wild pitch. He would eventually come around to score on a Rosen triple which tied the game 2-2.
The eighth inning proved to be San Jose State's Achilles' heel again as Washington State pushed two runs across. A throwing error on the shortstop de Watteville allowed the leadoff man aboard, which came around to score the game-winning run three batters later.
"I thought Handzlik pitched well enough to win," Nakama said. "He did a good job, but there were a few plays that needed to be made for us to win the game, and they didn't happen."
The Spartans and Cougars wrap up the four-game series tomorrow afternoon with a 12:00 p.m. start. Right-hander Kalei Contrades (2-1, 2.54) will start for SJSU.