Sunday's series finale against Menlo College completed a Spartans' series sweep. San Jose State got ahead early 3-0 and then pulled away late, with a three-run homer from junior Sergio Burgueno.
However, prior to Burgueno's homer, Menlo started to claw back in this one. The Oaks nearly pulled to within 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, a base hit down the left field line saw one run score, but Spartans' left fielder Garrison Wong got to it quickly and managed to two-hop a throw home to the plate to nail the back runner trying to score from second. The next batter would flyout to center field to end the inning.
"It was early on at that point. Garrison made a heck of a throw down the line," remarked Spartans' Head Coach Brett Ackerman. "It bounced right to AJ and we got the out."
"We have been playing this team all weekend and so I knew that the back runner was a bigger guy and wasn't as fast around the bases," noted Wong on his pre-pitch preparations. "With two runners on, obviously they are trying to get the second guy into score since they are down a few runs at that point. I actually should have hit my cutoff man, but luckily it two-hopped there and it was a good momentum changer for us."
Spartans' senior second-baseman Yudai Fujita also made a really nice defensive play in the first inning when he snagged a one-hop liner that came up high to his left. The play likely saved a run as two runners were already on base.
"I make that play without thinking, it's just reacting," chimed Fujita.
In the fifth inning is when things started to get a bit wonky for both teams. The Spartans extended their lead to 6-1 in the top half of the inning with help from a catcher's interference, walks and balks. The bottom half of the inning saw Menlo claw right back thanks to three walks and two hit batsmen. A long fifth inning ended with the difference in the score, the same as it started, two runs, now at 6-4 instead of 3-1.
The following inning though is when the Spartans effectively put the game away, dropping a four-spot. After an RBI single from Adam "AJ" Lopez made the score 7-4, two batters later Burgueno launched a towering fly ball over the fence in left-center field to increase the Spartan lead to 10-4.
"The entire day I wasn't having much success at the plate. I haven't faced many lefties so that through me off in the first couple at bats," admitted Burgueno. "But once they changed pitchers, I was just focused on driving the ball. That last at bat I got a pitch I wanted, a fastball right down the middle, right where I like it and just stayed with it."
The Spartans would eventually win this one 11-4 and have a bit of a break in the schedule before traveling to take on Sacramento State.
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