By Brianna Huffmaster (@bhuffmaster2024) – Spear Reporter
SJSU standing for the national anthem during pregame | Photo by Christian Vieyra – The Spear
San Jose State baseball (13-23, 8-10 MW) finished its long road trip this weekend in Reno, Nev. to play a three-game conference series against Nevada (14-17, 9-8 MW). The Spartans won one game of the series.
The first game Friday was a 18-4 loss, but the blowout didn’t occur until the final few innings. SJSU had opportunities offensively to keep the game close since it was a 5-2 Nevada lead going into the seventh. However, Nevada scored 13 runs in the seventh and eighth innings which was something SJSU couldn’t bounce back from.
Although the Spartan offense couldn’t get it going down the stretch, first baseman Hunter Dorraugh went 2-for-4 and hit his seventh home run of the season. Dorraugh is SJSU’s all-time home run leader at 32 and counting. Third baseman Nathan Cadena also hit a home run but it wasn’t enough to pull out the win.
Nolan George got the start on the mound and finished the night giving up four runs and five hits through five innings. Five Spartan pitchers had to close out the game.
“Just not good enough to win on a Friday night,” SJSU head coach Brad Sanfilippo said. “Back at it tomorrow and gotta play better baseball.”
SJSU hoped to turn things around Saturday afternoon but the pitching failed to come through again resulting in a 11-8 loss.
Spartan catcher Matt Spear had a huge offensive game with a grand slam in the eighth inning to cut the Wolf Pack lead. Spear had a career-high five RBI game. Dorraugh had another solid offensive game, going 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
Micky Thompson was the starting pitcher and had a final stat line of five runs and eight hits in five innings pitched. The bullpen was not able to keep Nevada to five runs which ultimately cost SJSU the game.
“Disappointed in the outcome and we need to figure out how to get one on Sunday,” Sanfilippo said. “Tough series on the road.”
The final game on Sunday ended on a positive note for the Spartans. Both the offense and pitching found its groove with a 6-3 win.
Spear was the star of the offense once again with a three-run home run in the sixth inning that gave the Spartans a 4-0 lead. This was Spear’s fourth home run in five games. Shortstop Theo Hardy joined the home run party with a two-run shot in the eighth to provide insurance for the offense.
Starting pitcher Ethan Ross had a dominant day on the mound. Ross struck out eight Nevada batters and only gave up two hits through six innings. Jesse Gutierrez earned the save in three innings of relief.
“Second Sunday in a row we got a huge start from Ethan Ross. He went out and gave us a great performance,” Sanfilippo said. “Really happy with the effort today being down 0-2 in the series.”
SJSU finished the weeklong road trip 1-4 and will continue to play on the road next weekend against Fresno State. The Bulldogs currently sit atop of the Mountain West standings with a conference record of 14-4. Meanwhile, the Spartans have a conference record of 8-10 and hope to make their way into the Mountain West tournament. The Spartans went 1-2 in the previous series against the Bulldogs. This time the series is in Fresno so SJSU has to continue to find ways to win big on the road.
First pitch of the big Mountain West matchup is set for 6:05 p.m. Friday at Pete Beiden Field.