Box Score SACRAMENTO -- Jeffery Heard and Steven Moretto each finished with a pair of hits and Sacramento State rallied to tie the game with a run in the eighth but visiting Dixie State was able push across the go-ahead score with two outs in the top of the ninth and hold on for a 4-3 Western Athletic Conference victory over the Hornets on Sunday afternoon in the series finale at John Smith Field.
The loss dropped Sacramento State to 9-7 overall and 1-2 in league play, which the Trailblazers improved to 8-6 overall and 4-2 in conference.
An RBI double by Gunner Gouldsmith scored Moretto in the second to tie the game and the Hornets took their first lead of the day in the third after Josh Walker snuck his second home run of the year inside the right field foul pole for the 2-1 advantage.
Dixie State answered with two in the fifth to regain the advantage on a single by Kaden Hollow and a bases-loaded wild pitch, but Sacramento State would not go quietly, biding its time until the eighth when they put two on with one out. Cesar Valero was hit by a pitch to lead-off the frame and moved to second on a single by Heard.
Another wild pitch moved both runners up 90 feet and, two batters later, Moretto was able to cash one in, lofting a fly ball to the gap in right, deep enough to plate Valero and tie the game at three apiece.
The deadlock did not last long as the Trailblazers put together another rally in their half of the ninth to plate the eventual winning run. Jack Walker was hit by a pitch, stole second, and moved to third with two outs on a ground ball to the right side. That brought up Shane Taylor, who kicked up the chalk with a double down the right field line, bringing Walker home for the 4-3 lead.
Ryan Hardman (2-0) then shut the door with a 1-2-3 ninth, absorbing a shot by Dylan McPhillips off the body for a 1-3-1 putout to lead off the inning before getting a strikeout and a fly ball to end the game.
Jack Zalasky (3-1) suffered the loss in relief, allowing his first run of the year on a single hit while striking out four over the final three innings of work. Colin Hunter started and was charged with three runs on five hits while striking out six over five innings, while Max Pettey worked a perfect sixth with a strikeout.
Heard collected his fourth multi-hit game of the season, while Moretto's performance was his third with two-or-more hits in 2022.
Following eight straight at home, Sacramento State hits the road for its next five, heading to the Bay Area on Tuesday (March 15) for a midweek battle with San Francisco at 2 p.m., before traveling to the Pacific Northwest for four games. The Hornets face Seattle U in a three-game WAC series on March 18-20, before taking on Washington on Monday (March 21) in a single non-conference contest.
