RENO, Nev. – The Spartans combined for five hits and played error-free baseball but were unable to come away with a win in their season finale on Sunday afternoon against Mountain West champion Nevada.
First baseman Ruben Ibarra led San José State on the day, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, one RBI and one walk.
Ibarra ended the season with 14 home runs in 35 games played (.40 home runs per game), becoming the most productive single-season home run hitter in program history (passed Jeff Ball, who averaged .25 homers per game in 1990). The junior is still in contention for the NCAA slugging percentage title, ranking No. 2 at the completion of the regular season with a clip of .850.
1?4? home runs
— San José State Baseball (@SanJoseStateBSB) May 30, 2021
3?5? games played
congratulations to @salty_rube on becoming the program's most productive single-season home run hitter in San José State history! #SpartanUp pic.twitter.com/BLE0bCxeCB
Senior Jack Colette was the other Spartan to tally an RBI on Sunday. Colette scored freshman Jackson Forbes from third with a single in the top half of the seventh.
Ibarra ended the year with the team's longest active hitting streak, extending his personal streak to eight games on Sunday.
Senior Will Tomlinson got the start on the mound and went 3.1 innings while striking out five. Another senior - Max Flower - impressed out of the bullpen, striking out one in his scoreless inning of work on the bump.
have a day, Will Tomlinson!
— San José State Baseball (@SanJoseStateBSB) May 30, 2021
Nevada opens the inning with a walk, balk and single but the senior gets back-to-back Ks and a fly out to get out of the jam against the top of the Wolf Pack order.
1-0 Spartans going top four in Reno. pic.twitter.com/nBBZ78Rtft
Sunday's meeting was San José State's 24th road game of the season, a year in which the team only played 36 contests. The Spartans endured a 14-game road trip earlier in the season, a stretch that marked the longest road trip in program history.