Feb. 21, 2015
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose State baseball team walked off 4-3 in 10 innings in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader before the bats went silent in a 6-1 loss in the nightcap at Municipal Stadium.
In the first game, the Spartans (3-4, 0-0 MW) and Bears (1-2, 0-0 WAC) traded runs through two frames, where the score stayed knotted at 2-2 until the bottom of the sixth.
Alec de Watteville led off the inning with a walk and scored on an error by the Bears' second baseman that would have ended the threat. Northern Colorado retied the game in the next frame, however, as Cole Maltese launched the first pitch he saw from Matt Brown over the left field fence.
De Watteville again started a rally in the bottom of the 10th with a base hit, then reached third on a double down the left field line off the bat of Brett Bautista. After taking a strike from UNC's Alex Werbach, Williams skied a medium-depth fly ball to left field, but Bears' left fielder Jake Ekman's throw home sailed high and up the line, allowing de Watteville to come across for the Spartans' second walk-off win in 24 hours.
Brown (1-0) picked up his first career win after going 5.0 innings in relief and allowing only the Maltese solo shot, while striking out three.
Game two was a different story for the Spartans, however, as Northern Colorado's Nick Tanner stifled the Spartans' offense with an 8.0-inning, two-hit, one-run performance as the Bears cruised to a 6-1 win for their first victory of the season.
Although Tanner walked five, the Spartans were not able to capitalize, with a Josh Nashed double, Andre Mercurio bunt single and Bautista base hit comprising San Jose State's only hits on the night.
The Spartans got a solid effort out of freshman Daniel Harris, who made the start and went 6.0-plus innings, allowing five runs (all earned) on eight hits while fanning five and walking just one.
Harris retired the Bears in order in three of his 6.0-plus frames, running into trouble in his first and last innings of work. After a Jake Garcia leadoff double in the top of the seventh, Harris fielded Jake Ek's sacrifice bunt and threw to third too late to get Garcia, setting up a three-run inning for Northern Colorado.
"We pitched well enough, but we gave them so many opportunities," said head coach Dave Nakama. "We're just walking too many guys, and then we screw up a bunt play in the second game that gives them a big inning. That's the second time we've done that in the last two weeks. We have to play better; we're not playing well. We have to find the right combination out there that can do it and we'll see what happens."
On the day, the Spartans also got solid outings from freshmen Hilario Tovar (3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 K) and Josh Goldberg (2.0 IP, H, ER, 2 K).
"That's a bright spot; we can pitch a little bit. We can still be better on the mound and those guys can still get better, so we're waiting for that to click," Nakama said. "We just have to play better defense and hit the ball a little better and we'll be all right."
San Jose State and Northern Colorado wrap up the four-game series Sunday at 1:00 p.m., when Ross Slaney (0-0, 0.00) takes the mound for the Spartans and goes up against UNC's Josh Wagner (0-0, 0.00).