LAS VEGAS – Brent Cota finished with a season-high four hits and a career-high six RBIs, including a late-game three-run homer, to lead the San José State baseball team (12-15, 3-3 MW) in a 18-8 seven inning victory over UNLV (17-11, 2-4 MW) Sunday afternoon from Earl E. Wilson Stadium in the final game of a three game series.
After a quiet opening inning, the Spartans broke the game open in the second thanks to a Dylan Jackson grand slam that gave San José State a 4–0 lead. After a scoreless third, Alex Fernandes added another run with an RBI single to make it 5-0 after the fourth. UNLV would respond with three runs in the fifth to cut the Spartan lead to just two runs.
The decisive stretch came in the sixth and seventh innings, when San José State exploded for 13 combined runs. Key hits from Peyton Rowles, JC Osorio-Agard, and Cota fueled a six-run sixth before the Spartans added seven more in the seventh to put the game out of reach.
On the mound, Dylan Smith earned the win to put him at 2-3 on the season, working five innings and striking out five. The bullpen of Jesse Gutierrez, Tyler Albanese, and Landon Marchetti combined to close things out despite a couple of late UNLV home runs.
San José State piled up 19 hits and scored in five different innings. Jake McCoy also went deep, while Jackson added five RBIs of his own in a breakout performance at the plate.
- This is the second time in the last four games the Spartans scored 18 runs in just seven innings
- Cota is the first Spartan to record six RBIs in a game since Osorio-Agard had six RBIs against Washington State on April 6, 2025
- Cota now leads the Spartans with 21 RBIs on the season
- Cota’s home run was his third of the season
- Jackson’s five RBIs also set a new career-high
- Jackson’s home run was his third of the season
- This was also Jackson’s first career multi-hit game
- Rowles went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, the third time in his last four games he notched three RBIs
- McCoy’s home run was his fourth of the season
- Fernandes, McCoy, Osorio-Agard, Alan Ramirez and Rohne Klein each recorded multiple hits
- Rocco Caballero went 1-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored
- Fernandes has reached base safely in all 27 games this season
UP NEXT: The Spartans will rematch Santa Clara tomorrow, March 30, at 6 p.m. from Stephen Schott Stadium. The game can be watched on ESPN+.
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