SAN JOSE, Calif. (Interstat) — San Jose State used a five-run fifth inning to break open a tie game and rolled past Fresno State 12-5 on Thursday night in a Mountain West matchup at Excite Ballpark.

The Spartans improved to 22-26-1, while the Bulldogs dropped to 14-36-1. San Jose State outhit Fresno State 13-8.

The game was tied at 5-5 after four innings, but the Spartans seized control in the bottom of the fifth. Left fielder Jake McCoy led off with a solo home run to left field, his first hit of the night, to put San Jose State ahead 6-5. Center fielder Brent Cota followed with a double to right center, and third baseman JC Osorio-Agard drove him in with a double to left field, making it 7-5.

After a pitching change, the Spartans continued to rally. With two outs, shortstop Rocco Caballero singled up the middle, driving in two runs to stretch the lead to 9-5.

Osorio-Agard finished 2 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs. He has now hit safely in two of his last five games after going 2 for 4 against Grand Canyon on May 3. McCoy went 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs, and first baseman Rohne Klein also homered and drove in two runs. Caballero and Cota each had two hits and combined for three RBIs.

San Jose State starting pitcher David Thomas earned the win after allowing five runs on seven hits over six innings. He struck out one and walked two. Reliever Luka Pintar tossed three perfect innings, striking out three and allowing just one hit to secure the save.

Fresno State got a strong start offensively but could not sustain it. Center fielder Sky Collins homered in the fifth inning, a two-run shot that gave the Bulldogs a brief 5-3 lead. He finished 2 for 5 with two RBIs. First baseman Jett Ruby also had two hits.

Bulldogs starter Douglas Crystal took the loss after allowing four runs in three and two-thirds innings. He struck out four but walked three.

The game began with Fresno State jumping ahead 2-0 in the top of the first. Collins singled, advanced on a walk and later scored on a sacrifice fly by shortstop Aiden Faust. First baseman Bryce Boyd then singled in another run.

San Jose State answered with three runs in the bottom of the first. After a hit batter and a double by third baseman Ryan Rowles, McCoy doubled to drive in a run, and Klein singled in another.

The Bulldogs pushed a run across in the third when second baseman Carson Hewitt scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 3-3. But the Spartans responded in the bottom of the third with back-to-back solo home runs by Osorio-Agard and Klein to tie it again at 5-5.

Collins’ home run in the fifth briefly put Fresno State ahead, but San Jose State’s decisive fifth inning erased that lead for good. The Spartans added three more runs in the eighth on a hit batter, a wild pitch and a fielder’s choice to put the game out of reach.

Fresno State will face San Jose State again Friday in the second game of the series. The Spartans have now won three straight against the Bulldogs, including a two-game sweep in Fresno on April 17-18.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of San Jose State 4, Fresno State 2, and Interstat’s ELO system gave the Spartans a 53.00 percent probability to win.