By Chris Estrada
Behind Kellen Strahm’s arms, two of San Jose State baseball’s three-game sweep over New Mexico came in walk-off fashion courtesy of the sophomore outfielder.
He accounted for the winning run in Friday night’s game and concluded the meeting with the Aggies (15-27-1, 8-16 MW) on Sunday singling in the bottom of the ninth with two outs to give the Spartans (19-22, 9-11 MW) a 3-2 victory.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking, but I had the confidence to get it done,” Strahm said after SJSU’s fifth consecutive win.
Strahm was effective on offense over the weekend, going 5-for-13 with four runs.
With a hit in each game, he also currently has a 15-game hitting streak — batting .409 in that span and increasing his average to .325 for the season.
“Kellen has gotten big hits, he is kind of our big-hit guy,” head coach Brad Sanfilippo said.
Amidst the celebration of winning five straight was the dominant pitching performance from junior right-hander Tevin Cadola.
He struggled in the beginning, allowing a run and two hits in the first inning, but he shut the door for six shutout innings afterward.
“I struggled in the beginning, giving up a run, but we continued to battle and put up zeros,” Cadola said. He went seven innings and struck out a season-high nine batters.
SJSU had many opportunities to score early on in the game but were unable to get the big hit, which left runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings.
The Spartans got on the board in the sixth with an RBI groundout from third baseman David Campbell.
The Lobos took the lead in the ninth after a two-out throwing error by Campbell allowed the go-ahead run to score.
He corrected his mistake leading off the bottom half of the inning with a single to ignite the two-run rally.
With the win, the Spartans completed their first series sweep of the year and have won nine of their last 12 games. Their current five-game winning streak is the longest since 2012 and the 19 wins on the season already matches last season’s total with still 12 games left.
The Spartans are on the road for the next nine games before finishing up the season back home for the final three.
Their next match is Tuesday against University of Pacific in Stockton at 6 p.m.
Follow Chris on Twitter: @estradadotc