FRESNO, Calif. – San Jose State baseball scored three runs in the ninth inning to rally and defeat Fresno State 7-5 to claim the series 2-1 Sunday at Bob Bennett Stadium.
Trailing 5-4 entering the final inning, junior outfielder Kellen Strahm evened the score with one swing of the bat as he belted a solo home run to lead off the inning. Johnny Mendoza singled to put the go-ahead run aboard, but two strikeouts quickly put SJSU in a tough spot. The Spartans responded, however, as Troy Viola laced a double down the left field line to plate Mendoza for the go-ahead run and Richard Kabasinskas laced a RBI single to right-center for the insurance run and 7-5 lead.
Fineas Del Bonta-Smith took the bump for the ninth and worked a perfect frame with a strikeout, groundout and flyout to close the door on the Bulldogs and pick up his seventh save of the season.
The Spartan bats, which had tallied just six combined hits in the first two games of the series, came to life to the tune of 15 hits, three extra-base hits and seven RBI. Strahm and freshman James Shimashita led the way with four hits each.
Strahm, a native of Eugene, Oregon, was 4-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored while Shimashita was 4-for-5 with a double. Mendoza and Viola also finished with a pair of hits.
SJSU (14-9, 8-4) plated the game's first three runs. A RBI single by Strahm plated Connor Konishi in the first inning and back-to-back RBI singles by Shimashita and Viola tacked on two more in the third to take a 3-0 lead.
It didn't take long for Fresno State to answer as they used a three-run fourth inning to tie the game. A wild pitch allowed the first run to score before a solo home run by Nate Thimjon and a RBI single by Zach Ashford scratched across two more runs. The Bulldogs (10-7, 2-4) then took the lead in the fifth on a RBI groundout.
The Spartans answered in the seventh as a RBI bunt single off the bat of Mendoza plated Strahm for the tying score at 4-4.
Freshman Jonathan Clark got the start on the mound for SJSU and tossed 4.0 innings with three runs against on six hits before being lifted for Zach Wallace. Wallace and Nicholas Morales worked together for 1.0 total inning before giving way for Wesley Clawson, who gave up just one hit and run unearned run in 3.0 innings of relief as he picked up the win to improve to 2-1.
Fresno State reliever Jamie Arias was charged with the loss after being responsible for the 3-run ninth. Starter Davis Moore scattered seven hits over 5.0 innings with six strikeouts and three runs.
SJSU now turns its attention to the Midwest where they will play at Michigan and Northwestern for a five-game road swing. First up is a two-game series against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor beginning on Tuesday. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. PT.
