By Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Baseball Beat Reporter // Photo via SJSU Athletics
Jack Colette went 4-6 with a home run, a double and became the 8th player in San Jose State history to club two triples in one game during SJSU’s 14-3 victory over New Mexico to take the three-game series in Albuquerque.
Shortstop Theo Hardy broke the game open with a bases-clearing triple to put SJSU up 9-3 during the Spartans seven-run rally in the sixth inning. UNM second baseman Chase Weissenborn misread Hardy’s hot roller which rolled all the way to the wall after scooting past center fielder Deylan Pigford and right fielder Braydon Runion.
It was the Lobo infield’s third misplayed ball of the inning and they finished the game with six errors.
Colette clubbed a there-run home run two innings later in the eighth inning to make it 14-3 which helped SJSU reliever Darren Jansen clinch the mercy rule in the bottom half of the inning.
SJSU starting pitcher Aaron Eden allowed just two earned runs in four innings and southpaw Jack White got the win after following up Eden’s solid day by dishing three innings of one run ball.
It was the second-straight day SJSU’s pitching staff allowed just three runs. An impressive feat in New Mexico’s high altitude and jet stream laden terrain.
The Spartans’ pitching staff allowed 13 hits, but just one extra base hit and the defense, headlined by Hardy’s game-ending diving play, didn’t make a single error.
Saturday marked the second-straight weekend in a row where SJSU took a road series against a Mountain West opponent after being blown out in the first game. They fell 16-8 last Thursday to New Mexico and 18-1 against Nevada on March 31.
SJSU will begin a five-game in seven-day stretch with a two-game series with UCSB on Monday and Tuesday. The Spartans will head back to San Jose and start a three-game series with UNLV on Friday.