Spring Break
Baseball team wins one of three
in rivalry series
Chris Bausinger and Elisha Maldonado
Issue date: 3/3/08 Section: Sports
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Bookended by two losses, SJSU was victorious in the middle game of the three-game set.
The Spartans were handed their first loss of the season in Game No.1 on Friday night at Santa Clara's Stephen Schott Stadium.
With the loss, SJSU's record dropped to 4-1 at the time, while the Broncos continued their winning streak.
"I thought the game was kind of a sloppy game from our standard, and I think Santa Clara would say the same," said SJSU head coach Sam Piraro. "We don't feel like we played as good as we are capable of playing."
The Spartans jumped to an early 2-0 lead in Friday's game.
The second batter of the game, junior shortstop Tyler Heil, singled, and sophomore third basemen Kyle Bellows followed with an RBI double down the left-field line.
Despite a couple of hits and scoring opportunities, the Spartans wouldn't score again until the fourth inning.
Meanwhile, the Broncos bolted to a 4-2 lead in the second inning, and added to their lead with two unearned runs in the third inning to make the score 6-2.
The Spartans would narrow the gap in the fourth inning as the offensive duo of Heil and Bellows struck again by helping SJSU score three runs.
Heil, who would bat 3-5 for the night, started the rally with a two-run double down the left-field line. Bellows, who went 3-4, hit an RBI single that took an odd bounce and found its way to the outfield.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Spartan's starting pitcher, junior David Berner, gave up his second home run of the game, this time to leadoff hitter Matt Long.
Bellows led off the seventh inning with another double and would eventually score on a passed ball no put the score at 7-6.
Within one run, the Spartans failed to bring any more home.
Berner threw 5.2 innings, giving up seven runs - five of which were earned - 11 hits and two strikeouts.
"Dave competed well," Piraro said. "And we didn't play well behind him. He could have got out of a couple innings, there and he wasn't as sharp as he was in his first start."
In the second game of the series at Municipal Stadium on Saturday, the Spartans came from behind to win in the bottom of the ninth inning, to win the game 10-9. SJSU won when junior John Shaffer's two-out single allowed Sonny Garza to score from third, tying the series at one game apiece.
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