April 3, 2016
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - In a game that saw both teams swapping leads throughout the day, San Jose State hung on for a 9-7 win over host Cal Poly on Sunday afternoon at Baggett Stadium.
The Spartans (10-17) grabbed their first series victory of the season and handed the Mustangs (17-9) just their second series loss of the spring. Sunday, San Jose State out-hit Cal Poly for the first time in the series, but saw the Mustangs commit more errors for a third consecutive day.
The big blow of the game took place with in the top of the eighth inning with San Jose State already on top 6-5. After Michael Breen drew a leadoff walk and Joe Stefanki singled to right - his second of three hits on the day - Corey Olivet stepped up and swatted his first career triple into the right center gap to give the Spartans a three-run cushion.
As it turned out, the Spartans needed both of those runs, as Cal Poly did its best to erase a 9-6 deficit in the ninth inning. Three straight singles to lead off the inning put the tying run aboard, but reliever Jake Swiech (S, 1) buckled down and closed it out to record his first career save.
Swiech followed Logan Handzlik, who yielded a run in 1.2 innings of relief, and Jonathan Hernandez (W, 1-0), who notched his first career win. Hernandez worked the sixth inning, and despite giving up an unearned run that tied the game, benefitted from the Spartans taking the lead for good in the top of the seventh.
San Jose State was able to strike first for the third time this weekend. Olivet led off the game with a base hit through the right side and moved to third on a Justin Beck groundout. Ozzy Braff then drove a ball back up the middle to drive in his 15th run of the season.
Spartan starter Josh Nashed could never quite get comfortable, though, as the Mustangs plated single runs in the first and second innings to pull ahead, 2-1. They were kept off the board in the third and fourth frames despite putting at least one man aboard in each.
For the third consecutive game, a Cal Poly error allowed a run to score for San Jose State. With Beck on first, Braff chopped a ball to third that Michael Sanderson threw over the head of Cooper Moore at first, setting up a David Campbell sacrifice fly.
Dillan Smith led off the fifth with a double and scored on Mustang starter Erich Uelmen's wild pitch, giving the Spartans a 3-2 lead. Cal Poly answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted by Alex McKenna's leadoff home run.
Campbell (3-3, two runs, double, RBI, intentional walk) and Stefanki (3-3, run, two RBIs) each recorded perfect days at the dish. Olivet (2-5, run, triple, RBI) and Shane Timmons (2-5, run, RBI, double) contributed two hits apiece to the 14-hit output.
San Jose State's road trip continues with a trip to Air Force next weekend.