SAN DIEGO – San Diego State was unable to maintain a three-run lead in game one of a scheduled Mountain West doubleheader against visiting San José State Friday, as the Spartans rallied for a 7-4 victory at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
Game two of the twin bill was suspended by rain at the end of the third inning with SJSU leading 2-0 and will resume at 3 p.m. PT before the teams square off in their series finale.
With the scored knotted a 1-1 in the fifth inning of Friday's series opener, the Aztecs (4-8, 2-2 MW) caught a break when Shaun Montoya drew a two-out walk from Spartan starter Jonathan Clark, who let the the pitch clock expire with a 3-2 count, resulting in ball four. Moments later Cole Carrigg stepped to the plate and hit a towering triple off the base of the wall in left-center field, plating Montoya and Drew Giannini, who led off the frame with a single to right center.
However, SJSU (6-5, 3-0 MW) began to chip away at the deficit in the top of the sixth courtesy of Robert Hamchuk's leadoff homer before the visitors tied the score on a two-run blast by Matt Spear in the seventh.
The Spartans subsequently vaulted in front for good with three runs on three hits in the eighth. With one out and the bases loaded, Jack Bowling threaded a two-run single through the left side, bringing home Jack Colette and Charles McAdoo, while Theo Hardy followed with another RBI single through the right side, plating Hunter Dorraugh.
Previously, McAdoo reached on a fielder's choice sandwiched between walks to Colette and Dorraugh.
The Aztecs put a runner aboard in the eighth when Carrigg laced a one-out single to right and advanced to second on a wild pitch. However, consecutive groundouts left the SDSU junior stranded at third.
SJSU reliever Jack White (3-1) pitched three scoreless innings to earn the victory, giving up one hit without a walk while striking out the side in the ninth. Conversely, Robert Brodell (2-2) was saddled with the loss after recording just one out the decisive eighth in relief of TJ Fondtain, while Eldridge Armstrong III allowed two hits and a walk over the final 1 2/3 innings.
Fondtain fanned a career-high nine batters in seven innings, yielding four runs on five hits without a walk in 109 pitches. Clark, meanwhile, surrendered four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks against six strikeouts in six innings of work.
Fondtain was victimized by a bad break in the first when Colette reached on a fielder's choice and stole second with two outs. However, the Aztecs committed two throwing errors on the play, allowing the Colette to score and give the Spartans a 1-0 lead.
The score remained unchanged until the fourth when Tyler Glowacki threaded a two-run single up the middle, plating Tino Bethancourt, who walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Glowacki and Carrigg finished with two hits apiece to lead the Scarlet and Black, while Hamchuk finished with a game-high three hits in the victory for SJSU.
In game two, the Spartans drew first blood on McAdoo's sacrifice fly and Dorraugh's RBI single in the top of the first. However, the rain intensified throughout the contest until play was halted after SDSU went down in order in the third.
The two sides resume their suspended game on Saturday at 3 p.m. PT to be followed by the series finale. Admission is free to this weekend's contests at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
Aztecs Drop Game One to SJSU; Rain Suspends Game Two
