By Oscar Acevado
In a tight game reminiscent of a heavyweight fight, the Aztecs (34-15, 17-7) finished off the sweep of the Spartans (15-30-1, 8-17-1) in the closest game of the weekend.
“It sucks,” said head coach Jason Hawkins. “We’re in a race towards the four spot and it’s not good. They’re feeling a little bit, we’ll bounce back.”
San Jose State was able to respond quickly each time the Aztecs scored, but could not answer a run at the top of the 10th inning.
Although the Spartans pitchers held their own early, a disastrous eighth inning saw the Spartans give up three runs.
A lack of a dependable closer has been the achilles heel for the Spartans this season, and it may cause the team to lose their chance at a Mountain West championship.
Although this series was crucial for the Spartans playoff hopes, they haven’t given up just yet.
“The biggest takeaway is probably that we can play anybody,” said senior Michael Breen. “We just gotta clean up some small stuff in terms of mistakes, but other than that, we’re as good as anybody. We just have to start believing in that more.”
Breen lead the team on the day with 2 RBI’s and was honored before the game along with seniors Graham Gomez, Joseph Stefanki and Zach Tanner.
Although the team is young and developing under coach Hawkins, the seniors on the team still have one goal in mind.
“Win. I just wanna go out and play the way we can play and show people we’re not a joke,” Breen said. “This team is gonna be really good in a couple of years. If I can mentor guys and get their confidence going into their next couple of years, that’s really my goal.”
The next game for the Spartans will be a tough one on the road against Grand Canyon University on Tuesday starting at 7 p.m.
