Box Score Stockton, Calif. – The Pacific Tigers lost to the San Jose State Spartans 9-7 Tuesday night despite a five-run fifth inning that put them back in the game. The loss was Pacific's second this year on Tuesdays, as they had won their last four Tuesday games in a row after losing to San Jose State earlier this season.
Taylor Johnson started for Pacific coming off of two straight outings of six innings and three runs allowed. Johnson went five innings tonight but gave up eight runs, six earned, while walking two men. Entering the game, Johnson had just three walks in his previous 12 appearances. The loss dropped Johnson's record to 3-3.
For the Spartans, it was Jake Swiech getting his first start of the year and he came away with his first win. The junior went three innings, allowing one run and four hits as San Jose State looked to use their bullpen to get through the Tuesday game. Zach Wallace pitched into the fifth inning but left after allowing the first four batters of the inning to reach.
Wallace was replaced by Zach Tanner, who pitched three innings of relief and worked with Jonathan Hernandez to build a bridge to Matt Brown. Brown pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to get his second save of the year.
The first hit of the game went to the Tigers when Danny Mayer knocked the first ball thrown to him into center on the ground. Mayer's hit made it 21 games in a row that Mayer has reached base. It also gave Mayer an eight-game winning streak, during which he has hit .278 with eight runs, three doubles, three homers, and six RBI.
Two singles in the second put the pressure on Johnson as San Jose State knocked the ball into left twice with two outs. Johnson got a grounder after that but it ate up the fielder for an error to allow the first run of the game to score. The Spartans lofted a single into short right to score another run before the Tigers get out of it.
Michael Ricupito, making his first collegiate appearance, singled in his first-ever at-bat with a soft liner into center. Miles Haddad followed it with his second single of the season to move the runner up. A fielder's choice erased Haddad and put men on the corners with two outs.
Vinny Margiotta's first career hit cut the deficit to one and got the Tigers on the board. Margiotta chopped the ball but had enough on the hop to get it over the first baseman's head into rightfield to make it 2-1. Unfortunately, Margiotta was caught stealing after that to end the inning.
The first three men in the third reached for San Jose State to start the scoring again. With men on first and second, Josh Nashed hit a tough grounder into the hole that ricocheted off Haddad's glove as he dove for it. The bounce went into no-man's land and became an RBI double.
A sacrifice fly scored another run for San Jose State, followed by a groundout that drove in the man on third and made it 5-1.
The Spartans managed two more singles in the fifth by the skin of their teeth. The first hit came on a chopper to third that was beaten out by mere inches. Another single slid under the glove of Haddad on the dive. Those hits came back to bite the Tigers as a three-homer over the leftfield wall scored everyone and made it 8-1.
Haddad and Joey Mejia singled back-to-back to start the fifth and give Pacific a chance to get back in the game. The single was Haddad's second of the game as the hot grounder to the left side made it past the shortstop. It was the first time in Haddad's career he had a multi-hit game. Mejia's hit also gave him four hits in his last five games, a stretch during which he has hit .308 with two runs.
The threat became all the more real when Margiotta drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases with no outs. It was Margiotta's first career walk.
Dylan Robertson worked a full-count walk to score a run and keep the pressure on, bringing Mayer and Brusa up to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs to face San Jose State's Tanner. Brusa managed another walk, also on a full count, to score a run on his 13th walk in the last eight games. It also gave Brusa five RBI in the last four games.
Another run scored when Nate Verlin sent a sacrifice fly to rightfield to score Margiotta. It was Verlin's 17th RBI at home and his six in the last five games, a total he would add on to in the seventh with a RBI single.
The fourth run of the inning came on a single to left by McKay Koissian to drive in Robertson all the way from second standing up. Koissian's single was just his fourth hit of the year but gave him three RBI as well, matching his career high in a single season.
Ricupito nearly homered in just his third career at-bat but had to settle for a double off the highest point of the leftfield wall. Brusa scored on the play but a great throw from left cut down Koissian at the plate to end the inning after five runs.
Haddad showed his range and arm to start the sixth to get the first out. The junior ranged to his right in a hurry and just barely grabbed the grounder before firing all the way across to just barely get the runner out. Mayer also made a great play in the inning when he leapt into the padding on the leftfield wall to grab a flyball for the second out.
The Spartans pushed their lead back up to three runs in the seventh with a handful of singles. With men on the corners and one out, San Jose State singled to leftfield to score one run. Mayer didn't grab the ball cleanly but still managed to fire a rocket to third to get the runner trying to advance. Robertson cleanly fielded a laser after that to get the third out.
Robertson got to lead off the seventh after making the fine play and popped up to the second baseman. However, the ball glanced off the palm of the second baseman's glove to allow Robertson to start the inning with a baserunner. Robertson moved to third after two groundouts, then scored when Verlin singled up the middle for his sixth hit in the last two games. Verlin has hit .524 over the last week.
After a scoreless eighth from Jordon Gonzalez that featured two swinging strikeouts, the Tigers came to the plate looking to get the two runs they needed to tie the game. Pacific couldn't manage anything in the eighth, though Haddad did launch a ball into left-center that was caught on the run by a tumbling outfielder to rob Haddad of what may have been a triple. That was the closest to offense that Pacific could muster in the final two frames as they were retired in order and took the loss.
The Tigers will play a three-game series with UC Davis this weekend. The Friday game will be at 2:30 pm at Davis. The Sunday game will also be played at Davis, starting at 1:00 pm. Saturday's game will be a fireworks night here at Klein Family Field, with the game beginning at 6:00 pm. Tickets for all home games are available online.
Make sure to follow Pacific baseball on Twitter with the username @PacificBaseball and on Instagram at pacificbaseball.
