By Marissa Scott (@marissascotttt ):
San Jose State baseball dropped its final game of the series against UC Santa Barbara in an 11-1 beatdown.
The Spartans (9-13, 2-6 MW) outhit the Gauchos (9-11-1) by one, but couldn’t avoid the series sweep.
SJSU has now been swept in three-straight serieses to Big West teams on the road dating back to 2016.
“It was pretty rough overall,” said junior catcher Jace Duty. “We have to minimize free bases, errors and walks.”
SJSU’s pitching staff continued to struggle as it gave up eight walks and hit three batters, which allowed UCSB to take advantage of the free bases. Six of the 11 free bases the Spartans gave up came around the bases to eventually score.
In eight road games this season, the Spartans have lost seven, including six in a row.
“Being on the road is a lot harder than people think,” Duty said. “The environment is different, but we definitely need to find a way to be better.”
The Spartans’ defense has been stellar as of late, but they had three errors in the third game.
Gaucho juniors Clay Fisher and Sam Cohen, sophomore Tommy Jew and freshman Blake Mann each had a pair of RBIs.
Freshman Nicholas Morales (1-4) made his sixth start of the season for the Spartans and held the Gauchos hitless through two innings, before giving up five runs in the bottom of the third inning.
SJSU has now played nine games where the opponents have scored nine or more runs.
“I think we have to play better baseball all around,” said senior left fielder Brett Bautista. “If we can pitch deep into ball games, have some big hits and a consistent defense then we should be fine.”
With hopes of snapping their three–game losing streak, the Spartans return home to face Saint Mary’s College on Tuesday night at 5 p.m.