By BRIAN TYNES

News Editor

After dropping two games to second-place San Jose State University (23-19, 11-10 WAC), Tech (16-30, 8-13) continued to feed at the bottom of the conference standings at J.C. Love Field this past weekend.

In the first game Friday night, the Bulldogs took a 4-3 lead into the ninth inning but allowed the Spartans to tie the game with a walk, error and two wild pitches.

The score remained knotted until the top of the 12th when San Jose State doubled its score by taking advantage of three walks, a hit batter and a catcher's interference call.

Three wild pitches also contributed to the scoring frenzy.

Tech was unable to cut the lead with the three, four and five hitters leading off the inning and lost 8-4.

"A twelve-inning game will take a lot out of you," Tech head coach Wade Simoneaux said. We had our chances to win, but we showed a lot of character by coming back and winning Saturday.

"Every weekend can go either way in this conference, and it's a matter of who makes the plays when they count. There's not a team in this conference that is going to quit. So we have to keep playing all the way every game -- 27 innings on the weekend and nine innings every night."

Senior Brandon Haygood led off Friday's game with a single and got a double in the seventh on Saturday for his 200th career hit. Haygood also homered Sunday.

"That's a tremendous accomplishment," Simoneaux said. "Anybody that gets 200 hits is averaging 50 hits a year, and that means you're a steady participant. I'm happy for Brandon. He's well-deserving, and he's been a steady performer for us."

Trailing 5-3 in Saturday's game, Tech sought retribution and had a four-run eighth inning.

The Bulldogs scored the four runs on five hits and left the bases loaded.

San Jose State cut the lead to 7-6 in the ninth inning but left the potential tying run stranded, giving the Bulldogs the win.

Both teams called the bomb squad Sunday, when Tech hit a season-high five home runs.

However, it was San Jose State's Brandon Fromm who hit the one that counted most with a three-run home run in the eighth inning to lift the Spartans to a 10-8 series-clinching victory.

Tech led 4-0 after the first inning and 8-7 before the home run.

The middle of Tech's lineup was retired in order in the ninth.

"I'd like to know the last time we hit five home runs and got beat," Simoneaux said. "Their one home run killed us. We swung the bat extremely well and ended up with 12 hits and about eight line drives right at people, but we didn't make the big plays defensively."

Tech begins an eight-game road trip tomorrow at Nevada and ending at Fresno State on May 22, before ending the season with a three-game home series against Hawaii.

"Nevada has given us the most trouble in the league since I've been here," Simoneaux said.

"They're the toughest team for us to beat. They got swept by Hawaii, and they're going to be hungry.

"We're very capable of beating them, but it's just a matter of finishing games off and believing we can win."