San José State University defeated California in a close 3-2 game on March 10, ending Cal’s 11-game winning streak. The game took place at Excite Ballpark and featured a dramatic finish as Peyton Rowles hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The win is significant for San José State, marking their third consecutive victory over California across multiple seasons. The Spartans improved their record to 5-11, while Cal fell to 13-4.
Alex Fernandes gave San José State an early lead with a solo home run in the first inning. California responded by scoring single runs in the fourth and seventh innings to take a brief lead. In the eighth inning, Rowles singled and was brought home by Alan Ramirez’s double, tying the game at two runs each.
Relief pitcher Caden Duke played a key role for the Spartans, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings and allowing only two hits to keep Cal from regaining the lead. Fernandes finished the night going one-for-three at bat and leads his team with a .458 batting average, .695 slugging percentage, two home runs, and twelve runs batted in this season. Rowles went three-for-five at bat; his eleven runs scored and twenty hits are both second-most on the team this year.
Looking ahead, San José State will begin conference play by hosting New Mexico for a three-game series starting Friday evening.
