May 7, 2017
Lineup. #omahaknows #SJSU #sjsuspartans
A post shared by San Jose State Baseball (@sjsubaseball) on May 6, 2017 at 3:33pm PDT
Box Score
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose State University baseball team came back from two runs down to tie it at 3-3 in the eighth inning but lost to San Diego State 5-3 in 12 innings on Saturday.
It was the first loss in extra innings for the Spartans this season having won the previous three. The loss dropped SJSU's record to 15-29-1 and 8-16-1 in Mountain West conference play while the Aztecs improved to 33-15, 16-7 MW.
SJSU remains 2 ½ games behind Air Force for fourth place in the conference standings since the Falcons also lost tonight. Both SJSU and Air Force have four more conference games remaining.
The three hour fifty-two minute, 12 inning battle overshadowed the performance of Spartans starter Jake Swiech who pitched a strong 7 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and walking one. His two big mistakes were the home runs allowed to Chase Calabuig and Tyler Adkison.
Calabuig's home run came in the third with a runner on, to put the Aztecs up 2-0.
San José State cut the Aztecs lead in half, 2-1, when Shane Timmons (1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB) singled home Kellen Strahm (1-for-4, R) in the sixth against Aztecs starter Dominic Purpura. It was the fourth consecutive game that Timmons had driven in a run.
It was remained a pitcher's duel when in the eighth, Adkison hit a solo homer against Swiech which appeared to be an insurance run.
The Spartans nullified the Aztecs lead in the home half of the eighth with some help from the San Diego State pitching staff. Michael Breen (1-for-5, R) lead off the inning with a single. After advancing to third on a pair of singles, including one by Chris Williams (2-for-5, R), Breen scored when a balk was called against Aztec closer C.J. Saylor. It cut the Aztecs lead to 3-2.
After Williams moved to third on a second called balk against Saylor, he scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 3-3.
The score remained 3-3 until the top of the 12th when the Aztecs strung together five consecutive hits against SJSU relievers Josh Goldberg and Joseph Balfour to put San Diego State up 5-3.
Goldberg (2-3) was saddled with the loss for the Spartans. Alan Trejo (2-2), who started the game at second base and pitched the last 2 2/3 innings of the game was credited with the win.
Having lost the first two games of the series, San Jose State will look to salvage the series on Sunday, May 7 on Senior Day. Five seniors - Michael Breen, Graham Gomez, Joseph Stefanki, Zach Tanner and Jack Veasey - will be honored prior to the first pitch, scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PT.