Feb. 27, 2015
SAN DIEGO - Despite leading 1-0 in the first game and 4-0 in the second game, the San Jose State baseball teamed dropped both portions of a twin bill, 4-2 and 7-5, against San Diego State on Friday at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
"That's the way we've been playing. We've been finding ways to give teams opportunities to score, and you can't do that, especially when you play good teams," said head coach Dave Nakama.
San Jose State fell to 4-6 on the season and 0-2 in Mountain West action while San Diego State won its fifth and sixth consecutive games to move to 10-1 on the year and 2-0 in the Mountain West.
In the first game, SDSU's Bubba Derby (1-0) picked up his first win of the season after going 8.0 innings and scattering six hits while allowing two runs and striking out eight. Kalei Contrades (0-2) took the loss despite matching Derby's 8.0 innings, his longest outing of the season, and allowed four runs on ten hits while fanning four Aztecs.
Contrades and Derby traded scoreless innings through three frames, contributing to a game that lasted just two hours and two minutes.
David Campbell got the Spartans in the hit column when he roped a one-out double down the right field line in the top of the fourth. Two batters later, a grounder off the bat of Brett Bautista barely snuck past Aztecs second baseman Alan Trejo, allowing Campbell to come around to score.
The Spartans would not hold the lead for long, however, as third baseman Ty France doubled down the left field line and catcher Seby Zavala sent the next pitch over the left field fence to put the Aztecs on top 2-1.
San Diego State stretched its lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth, as Chase Calabuig doubled to right center and scored on Steven Pallares' high chopper up the middle that barely bounded over Alec de Watteville's outstretched glove.
De Watteville's RBI base hit in the top of the next inning scored Andre Mercurio to cut the Aztecs' lead to 3-2, but the Spartans would draw no closer. Andrew Brown's two-out, RBI base hit to left center added an insurance run for San Diego State closer CJ Saylor, who picked up his fifth save of the season to hand the Spartans a 4-2 loss.
In the second game, San Jose State scored in each of the first three frames and then saw the Aztecs score in three of their last four to clinch the series victory with a 7-5 win.
Mercurio sparked the Spartans' offense in the first when he doubled in the left center gap off San Diego State starter Brett Seeburger. De Watteville followed up with a double at the base of the left field fence to plat Mercurio.
In the second, freshman Shane Timmons, making his first start of his Spartan career, picked up the first base hit of his career as well when he lined Seeburger's 1-2 pitch into right field. The designated hitter then came around to score when Bautista laced a single of his own into left center.
After Cody Thompson came on in the third inning in relief of Seeburger, Breen drew a leadoff walk and scored on de Watteville's second RBI double of the game, this one bouncing off the fence in left center field. Timmons would then continue his productive day at the plate with an RBI base hit to center, putting the Spartans up 4-0.
Daniel Harris gave San Jose State what it needed on the mound, going 4.2 innings and allowing one run on just two hits. Harris gave way to Matt Brown in the bottom of the fifth with the bases full of Aztecs and two outs, but Danny Sheehan singled through the right side to bring home San Diego State's first run of the ballgame. Brown then escaped the jam by fanning France.
The game unraveled for the Spartans in the bottom of the sixth, as the Aztecs batted around and put up four runs on three walks, a Spartan error and just two hits. Brown retired two of the first three hitters, but walked Saylor and Trejo before being replaced by Myles Richard. Richard would battle Calabiug to a full count before walking home the Aztecs' second run of the game. After moving from second base to the mound, Kuhaulua allowed a pair of hits and balked home a run, giving San Diego State a 5-4 lead.
A booming two-out double over the center fielder's head by Williams got the Spartans going in the top of the eighth, bringing Bautista to the plate with a pair of hits on the day already. The Aztecs brought in left-hander Jacob Erickson to face him, but Bautista promptly lined a base hit to center to plate Williams and tie the game at 5-5.
San Diego State again answered right back, plating a pair of runs on a two-RBI base hit by Sheehan in the bottom half to retake the lead. Saylor then came on and retired the Spartans in order to pick up his second save of the day.
"I think we self-destructed in that four-run inning where an error led to four runs and then the inning they scored two runs, we make an error with two outs and nobody on, and that leads to two runs. You can't do that against good teams," said Nakama.
Leading San Jose State at the plate on the day were Bautista (4-7, BB, 2 RBI), Mercurio (3-7, 2 R, 2B), de Watteville (3-8, R, 2 2B, 3 RBI) and Timmons (2-3, R, RBI).
The Spartans and Aztecs wrap up the series on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.