SAN JOSE, CALIF. – Utah Valley baseball dropped the final game of their road series to San José State University, 7-5, on Sunday afternoon at Excite Ballpark. UVU (2-6) rallied to take a 5-4 lead on a two-run single by Joe McBride in the eighth inning, but SJSU (6-1) rallied with three in the home half.
 
"We had a tough road trip, playing eight tight ball games. We've learned a lot about ourselves, what we are good at, and ultimately, what we need to improve upon.  I can't say enough good things about our pitching staff and where they are at. They have shown tremendous grit over the first two weekends," said UVU head coach Nate Rasmussen.
 
The Spartans scored runs in the first and second innings off UVU starting pitcher Wayland Crane. He was tough all day on opposing hitters, finishing the day with seven career-high strikeouts. His toughness on the mound gave the Wolverine hitters a chance to cut into the deficit.
 
They did just that in the third inning with a two-out rally that started with a double by Luke Iverson before Landon Frei launched his second homer of the series to tie the game up at 2-2. Crane came back out with a three-up and three-down inning.
 
Utah Valley trailed 3-2 heading to the sixth inning when three straight singles tied the game back up at 3-3. Jimmy De Anda singled and moved to second on a throwing error, he later moved to third on the Spartans second error of the inning on a Mason Strong single. Jayden Smith finished with a multi-hit game, including a single, which brought home the game-tying run. Utah Valley looked to continue the inning and loaded the bases after a single from Landon Zaborowski, but San José State's Nolan George recorded two outs to keep the game tied.
 
SJSU pushed a run across in the seventh inning on a single from Zach Chamizo, who finished with four RBIs in the game.
 
The Wolverines were not done yet with a single to start the eighth by Strong before Smith doubled to put two runners in scoring position. McBride then came up with a clutch two-run single to put Utah Valley in front 5-4.
 
The Spartans loaded the bases in the home half of the inning. Utah Valley's infield stepped up and turned a double play to get the first two outs of the inning and kept a run from scoring to tie the game. The next hitter was Chamizo, who homered to give San José State the 7-5 lead.
 
Iverson and Frei have now reached base safely in eight consecutive games, with Frei leading the team with a seven-game hitting streak heading into the series next week.
 
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will host UC Davis in a four-game series beginning on Friday, Feb. 28 at 4:05 p.m. MT. The two will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 11:05 a.m. MT before wrapping up the series on Sunday, Mar. 2, at 12:05 p.m. MT.