By Marissa Scott (@marissascotttt)
A go-ahead single in the ninth inning by junior shortstop Aaron Pleschner secured a 10-7 victory for San Jose State baseball over Fresno State Sunday afternoon.
The Spartans (14-20, 6-11 MW) were down 6-5 going into the ninth inning but scored five runs against the Bulldogs (21-14, 8-10 MW) to grab their second series win of the season. Ironically, the first series victory happened to come against their conference rival and gives SJSU the 4-2 head-to-head advantage this season.
Junior right–hander Tevin Cadola (1-2) made his third start of the season and pitched five innings while giving up four runs with one earned.
After a leadoff triple in the first inning by senior left fielder Brett Bautista who later scored on a wild pitch, the Spartans took an early 1-0 lead. Two walks, a hit batsman and a sacrifice fly gave SJSU a two–run lead going into the bottom of the first.
The Bulldogs quickly cut the lead in half and the score was 2-1 after the first frame.
A bases-loaded single for Fresno senior first baseman Torin Goldstein and another single moments later scored three unearned runs to give the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead in the third.
In the fifth inning, the Spartans tied the game at four runs apiece with back-to-back RBI singles by freshman designated hitter Connor Konishi and sophomore catcher Johnny Mendoza.
A single in the sixth by senior right fielder Chris Williams gave the Spartans the upper hand.
The bottom of the eighth plagued the Spartans as freshman catcher Zach Presno doubled to left center to give the Bulldogs a 6-5 lead.
A five-run ninth inning, which included two-bases loaded singles and two RBI singles, gave the Spartans a four-run lead.
Eight different Spartans contributed to the ten RBIs in the game and Pleschner had a day going 3-for-4 with the go-ahead RBI in the ninth.
Junior Fineas Del Bonta-Smith (1-3) got his first win of the season in his three innings of work. Wesley Clawson pitched a one-run ninth but still secured the Spartans’ 14th win of the season.
SJSU handed Fresno State’s first back-to-back losses since March 17-18, when the same Spartan team beat the Bulldogs at home.
Sunday’s game marks the fourth time the Spartans have scored double–digit runs this season and the first time they have done it in back-to-back games.
The Spartans will head home in good spirits to face the University of San Francisco on Tuesday at 5 p.m.