Feb. 20, 2018
San Jose, Calif. --- The San Jose State University baseball team lost, 4-1, to Santa Clara Tuesday night in Municipal Stadium.
Though the Spartans only had four singles, they were the recipients of six walks, two Santa Clara fielding errors and a hit batsman. San Jose State left 10 runners on base to Santa Clara's six. Four times in the first seven innings, the Spartans (2-3) stranded a pair of base runners.
The Broncos struck first scoring one run in the top of the first. Jake Brodt (0-for-4, RBI) reached base on a fielder's choice RBI that scored Joe Becht (0-for-4, R, BB).
In the Broncos' second, Tony Boetto (1-for-1) doubled to right field with one out sending Zach Walsh (0-for-3, R) and Grant Meylan (1-for-3, BB) home for a 3-0 lead.
Brandon Ross (0-1) started on the mound for San Jose State and became the first Spartan starter this season to pitch into the sixth inning. After the first two innings, Ross retired 11 consecutive batters. He had six strikeouts to one walk in his 5.1 innings of work.
At the top of the sixth, the leadoff hitter Jason Dicochea (1-for-3, R, RBI) homered over the left field fence. The Spartans answered with a sacrifice fly to right field from Michael Bowes (0-for-1, RBI, BB) that drove in Aaron Pleschner (0-2, R, BB).
The winning pitcher in the game was starter Luke Martin-Resnick (1-0). The junior shut out the Spartans for the first three innings allowing two hits and striking out three batters. Penn Murfee was credited with a two-inning save for the Broncos retiring all six batters he faced.
The Spartans travel to San Francisco this weekend to take on the Dons February 24 at 10:30 a.m. Then the team plays a February 25 doubleheader at Benedetti Diamond onn the USF campus against Sacramento State at 10:30 a.m., and the Dons at 2:00 p.m.