May 3, 2016
SAN JOSE, Calif. - In the first-ever meeting between San Jose State and Grand Canyon in San Jose, the Spartans tied the game in the ninth but saw the Lopes rally for a 10-5 win in 10 innings.
Grand Canyon (22-20-1) defeated San Jose State (14-30) for the first time in the four-game history between the schools, and first since 1997.
Brendt Citta's two run home run - his third of the season - clanked off the left field foul pole in the in the bottom of the second gave San Jose State a lead it would carry most of the night.
Logan Handzlik made the start and worked 3.0 hitless innings despite putting himself in harm's way by issuing five walks. Jake Swiech took over in the fourth and tossed the next 3.0 innings, allowing a lone run in the sixth that cut the lead to 2-1.
Graham Gomez fired a quick a scoreless seventh to bridge the gap to Matt Brown (L, 2-6), who allowed the first four runners of the inning to reach base, including an error on a would-be RBI groundout. A pair of sacrifice flies and an RBI single brought the damage to four runs in the inning and built a 5-2 GCU lead.
In the bottom half, Shane Timmons matched Citta with his third home run on the campaign - this one a solo moonshot that landed well beyond the left field wall.
The Spartans entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 5-3 and mounted a two-run rally to tie it up and force extras. After Joe Stefanki reached on one-out error, Michael Breen singled him to third and Justin Beck lifted a sacrifice fly into left center. Ozzy Braff then stepped to the dish and delivered a game-tying triple down the right field line that scored Breen from first.
The Lopes wouldn't give the Spartans a surmountable deficit in the 10th, however, as they plated five runs on four hits to take a 10-5 lead that AJ Franks finished off in the home half.
San Jose State and Grand Canyon play the back end of the two-game midweek set Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.