April 15, 2016
SAN JOSE, Calif. - New Mexico brought gaudy offensive numbers to town, but it was San Jose State that was able to slug its way to a 9-8 win the series opener Friday night at Municipal Stadium.
San Jose State (11-22, 4-12 MW) halted a five-game skid with the win and handed New Mexico (24-11, 12-4 MW) just its second loss on a Friday night this season. The Spartans out-hit the Lobos, 15-10, and scored in six of their eight trips to the plate. All nine players in San Jose State's starting lineup collected at least one hit, and five recorded multi-hit nights, led by Ozzy Braff's 3-for-4 effort.
The deciding run was scored with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning with the score knotted at 8-8. With Hunter Tidwell on second, Aaron Pleschner grounded a ball to shortstop that Dalton Bowers booted initially but then picked up and threw across to first. The throw was too late to get Pleschner, however, and Tidwell alertly rounded third and scored on the play to put the Spartans on top for good, 9-8.
Josh Goldberg (W, 4-1) stayed in for a fourth inning of work in the ninth and breezed through the Lobos to notch his team-leading fourth win of the season. Goldberg finished with a line of 4.0 innings, four runs allowed (three earned), three hits, three strikeouts and two walks. He relieved starter Graham Gomez, who held the Lobos scoreless in the first three frames before they got to him for four runs over his final two innings on the bump.
San Jose State drew first blood with a two-out rally in the first inning. Braff singled up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch, and David Campbell cashed in with an RBI single up the middle.
In the second, Brendt Citta smashed a one-out double off the center field wall and scored on Hunter Tidwell's RBI groundout. After Michael Breen reached on a bunt single and Dillan Smith on an infield hit, Pleschner smashed a ball back up the middle that deflected off Carson Schneider's leg and kicked far enough away to allow both Breen and Smith to score.
Braff's team-high fifth home run of the season, a solo shot in the third, extended the Spartan lead to 5-0. His trio of hits on the night moved his reached-base streak to 21 games and his hit streak to seven.
New Mexico's prolific offense wouldn't be held down for long, however, as the Lobos put up three runs in the fourth and added another in the fifth to pull within 5-4. Smith's two-run single in the sixth extended the San Jose State lead to 7-4, but the Lobos put together another three-run rally in the seventh to draw even.
In the home half, Joe Stefanki drilled a ball off the yellow stripe at the top of the left field wall and had to settle for a double, but Braff did the rest by lacing an RBI single into right field and putting the Spartans back on top, 8-7.
Once again, New Mexico had an answer, but this time they didn't need a hit to produce a run. A one-out walk, error and intentional walk loaded the bases for Carl Stajduhar, who skied a ball the warning track in left center for a game-tying sacrifice fly.
San Jose State and New Mexico resume the series Saturday at 2:00 p.m. from Municipal Stadium. Matt Brown gets the ball for the Spartans and opposes Tyler Stevens.