By Casey Geier
San Jose State beat Saint Mary’s College 6-5 match to end a six-game losing streak.
The Spartans (14-24-1) were down big early against the Gaels ( 26-14), falling behind 5-1 after the fourth inning, giving up five walks during the stretch.
The tide turned for the SJSU after Shane Timmons hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to bring the Spartans to within one.
“We’ve been struggling to score with runners in position, especially me, so I was just looking for a good pitch to hit,” said first baseman Shane Timmons.
Ss Aaron Pleschner led the team with three hits batting four times, and led the team in hits as well with two.
The Spartan pitching staff posted a solid effort after struggling with consistency throughout the year, shutting out the Gaels from the fourth inning onward. Eric Anderson started the game for the Spartans, but was pulled after the first inning. It was Graham Gomez and Zach Wallace who closed out the last four innings, both allowing zero runs. Wallace was given the win (2-0).
“On Tuesdays you’re gonna have to score runs to win and six sometimes isn’t enough,” said head coach Jason Hawkins. “But we were able to keep them off balance with different looks on the mound.”
The Spartans also played exceptional defense, having no errors for the game. The Gaels had two in comparison.
The Spartans took the lead in the bottom of the eighth after two wild pitches thrown by Saint Mary’s pitcher Jonathan Buckley brought in two runners.
Cf Kellen Strahm got the game-winning RBI on his birthday and finished one for four with a walk.
SJSU will travel to Fresno this weekend to play the rival Bulldogs in a three-game series.