By Brianna Huffmaster (@bhuffmaster2024) – Spear Reporter
Starting pitcher Ethan Ross on the mound | Photo by Christian Vieyra – The Spear
San Jose State baseball (16-23, 11-10 MW) completed the sweep against Fresno State (23-13, 14-7 MW) Sunday afternoon with a 9-2 win. The Spartans entered the series with a 5-16 road record but proved their resilience this weekend against the top team in the Mountain West.
Everything worked well throughout the game for SJSU. The pitching was dominant and the offense was able to take advantage of opportunities.
Starting pitcher Ethan Ross shined on the mound. He pitched a career-high eight innings and only gave up two runs.
“Ethan Ross was unbelievable today,” SJSU head coach Brad Sanfilippo said. “(His) performance allowed us to [perform] offensively today.”
Although the pitching has been an overall weakness this season, Ross’ performances as of late has been a bright spot for the rotation.
On the offensive side, the Spartans hit five home runs. First baseman Hunter Dorraugh hit two home runs that extended his SJSU home run record to 35. Dorraugh finished the game with five RBIs.
Outfielders Sebastian Orduno and Robert Hamchuk both hit solo homers in the first inning to start things off. Catcher Matt Spear also hit a solo homer in the ninth inning. It’s Spear’s sixth home run in the last eight games.
SJSU entered the weekend hoping to gain ground in the Mountain West standings. Sweeping the series against the Bulldogs now has the Spartans sitting at fourth place in the conference standings.
After a month of playing on the road, SJSU hosts UNLV for a weekend series on April 26-28. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. Friday at Excite Ballpark.