SAN JOSE, Calif. (Interstat) — JC Osorio-Agard launched a decisive two-run homer in the eighth inning and Luka Pintar delivered crucial relief work Saturday afternoon as the San Jose State Spartans evened their weekend series with a 7-3 victory over the San Francisco Dons.

In a game defined by pivotal bullpen performances and a late offensive surge, the Spartans (3-3) bounced back from a 13-inning loss to the Dons (4-2) a afternoon earlier. The most important part of the contest came in the bottom of the eighth, with San Jose State clinging to a 5-3 lead. After a leadoff single by Noah Cota, Osorio-Agard connected for his first home run of the season, a blast to left field off San Francisco reliever Wesley Harwell that provided critical insurance runs and ultimately sealed the win.

Osorio-Agard, the Spartans’ third baseman, finished 2 for 3 with four RBIs, also contributing a sacrifice fly in the first inning and a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth.

The game was a tight affair through seven innings, featuring a back-and-forth start. San Jose State erased an early three-run deficit from Friday’s game, which was carried over due to a suspension, by scoring three times in the first inning off San Francisco starter Adrian Valdez. Peyton Rowles tripled home a run and later scored on an RBI single by Connor McCoy, with Osorio-Agard’s sac fly tying the game.

San Francisco reclaimed a brief lead in the fourth on a solo homer by shortstop TJ Rogers and went ahead again in the fifth on an RBI double by Connor Landry, making it 4-3.

The Spartans answered in the sixth, taking the lead for good at 4-3 when Osorio-Agard’s single drove in McCoy, who had reached on an error. They added a run in the seventh on a balk by Dons reliever Braden Wellen, scoring Rowles after he singled and advanced on an error and a stolen base.

While Osorio-Agard provided the offensive exclamation point, the top star for San Jose State was reliever Luka Pintar. Entering with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth inning, Pintar stranded all three runners by striking out pinch-hitter Jack Nystrom. He proceeded to throw 4 1/3 strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out five to earn the win. His effort stabilized the game after starter David Thomas went 4 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on five hits.

San Francisco’s bullpen, conversely, could not hold the line. Valdez, the starter, pitched four no-hit innings but was charged with three earned runs, walking five. Cal Amborn provided two scoreless innings of relief, but Wellen and Harwell surrendered the final three runs in the seventh and eighth.

Both teams collected eight hits. Eddison Esquivel had an RBI double for the Dons, who saw their three-game winning streak snapped.

The loss dropped San Francisco to 4-2, while San Jose State leveled its record at 3-3. The result defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast an 8-6 victory for the Dons, though the Spartans were given a 56.6% probability to win by the same service’s ELO system.

The teams conclude their three-game series Sunday afternoon in San Francisco.