Dawson Smith- Spear Reporter| Fifth Year Caden Duke coming off the mound (Photo by Dawson Smith– Spear Photographer)
The sun was shining for San Jose State baseball (8-12, 2-1 MW) against the San Diego State Aztecs (11-11, 2-1 MW) on Friday afternoon at Excite Ballpark, as the Spartans walked away with a gritty 3-2 victory in 11 innings.
In a unique scheduling twist, the Spartans capitalized on the chance to a conference rival in a non-conference bout, using powerhouse swing from graduate student outfielder Brent Cota and an iron-willed bullpen to snap a late-inning deadlock.
The afternoon began as a defensive struggle. SJSU starting pitcher Jesse Gutierrez battled through three innings, surrendering two runs one via a wild pitch in the second and another on a sacrifice fly in the third.
Gutierrez finished his day off allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, and 1 strikeout as he has become a consistent opener for SJSU head coach Brad Sanfilippo.
“Yea the pitching really allowed us to stay in the game,” said Sanfilippo.
However, the Spartans bullpen took over from there, providing eight scoreless innings of relief that allowed the offense to find a spark in the bottom of the seventh.
Trailing 2-0, senior outfielder Jake Mccoy jumpstarted the rally with a sharp single past the shortstop. This was the first at-bat that saw a Spartan deliver a hit with anyone on base allowing the Spartans to take momentum.
Moments later, Cota stepped to the plate and delivered the game’s biggest highlight, launching a two-run home run to left field to tie the game, 2-2.
Defensive resilience defined the middle frames for SJSU. In the fifth inning, with two Aztec runners in scoring position and no outs, the Spartans infield cut down the runner at the plate on a fielder’s choice.
2nd baseman Peyton Rowles then ended the threat with a spectacular diving play to force an out at second base. Stopping an Aztec offense that almost expanded their lead at the time which would have made the comeback even harder.
The Spartan defense remained sharp into extra innings, benefiting from a crucial batter’s interference call in the 10th that neutralized an Aztec steal which would have put a runner in scoring position with no outs.
Relievers senior Kyle Calzadiaz and fifth Year Caden Duke were the anchors of the victory. Calzadiaz dominated the middle stretch with five strikeouts, while Duke earned the win after tossing three shutout innings, including an 11th frame that featured three flyouts to center field.
“Calzadiaz was battling a little bit of a sickness for him to give us that effort was huge,” Sanfilippo said. Calzadiaz had 5 strikeouts in 5 innings of work on 83 pitches.
Offensively, the Spartans were led by McCoy, who finished the day 3-for-5. 3rd baseman Alan Ramirez also provided a spark with two hits, including a high pressure double in the 10th inning.
That saw the Spartans leave another player on base in a clutch moment.
Despite a few missed opportunities on the basepaths including two caught stealing calls, the Spartans persistence paid off as they wore down the Aztec pitching staff.
The Spartans will play San Diego State at 4:35 p.m. on Saturday at Excite Ballpark, as they look to continue their hot streak for the rest of the mini tournament.
