By Marissa Scott
A two-run lead going into the fifth inning wasn’t enough for San Jose State baseball as it dropped its non-conference matchup 5-3 to Cal Poly Wednesday night.
The Spartans (21-25, 11-12 MW) were out hit 14-7 by the Mustangs (22-25, 8-7 BW) and stranded eight baserunners.
“Cal Poly is a good team in the Big West and we were a little short handed today,” said interim head coach Brad Sanfilippo. “They got a big hit and we didn’t, that was kind of how it rolled.”
SJSU got on the board first after senior left fielder Brett Bautista singled in sophomore center fielder Kellen Strahm to give the team a 1-0 lead in the first.
The Spartans took a 2-0 lead after senior designated hitter David Campbell hit a sacrifice fly in the third, but the Mustangs answered quickly.
In the bottom of the same inning, Cal Poly junior shortstop Kyle Marinconz doubled in a run to cut the Spartan lead in half.
Freshman third baseman Santiago Cantu smacked a solo shot to right field in the fourth inning for the first home run of his college career.
“We know he is capable,” Sanfilippo said of Cantu. “When you have an experienced team like we do and you have a lot of older players, sometimes the freshmen have to wait for their time. It was nice to see him take advantage of it.”
SJSU was held scoreless for the remainder of the game. The Mustangs scored two runs in the fifth and two runs in the seventh to secure its 5-3 victory.
On Friday, the Spartans head to San Diego to face the Aztecs for a three-game series and a fourth makeup game from an earlier contest this season which was postponed.
“It’s gonna be a tough weekend on the road,” Sanfilippo said. “We said we had to get better on the road and we have. I am happy how we’ve played so far and we know what we are playing for.”
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