Box Score ST. GEORGE, Utah — Sophomore right-hander Kevin Haynes struck out three over two-plus innings of hitless, scoreless relief, and the Hornets rallied with nine runs over the final four innings to pull away late, lifting Sacramento State to an 11-6 win over host Dixie State in the series opener at Bruce Hurst Field on Friday night.
Having won three straight for the first time since sweeping Long Beach State at the end of February, the Hornets improved to 19-18 overall and 10-9 in Western Athletic Conference play with the victory, evening the season series with the Trailblazers at two wins apiece in the process. Sacramento State also improved to 10-0 in series openers this season and earned its 13th consecutive victory in a series opener dating back to last year.
Dixie State, which entered the night tied for third in the WAC West Division standings with the Hornets, fell to 15-21 overall and 9-10 in league play.
Haynes (3-0) picked up his second victory in as many appearances and his third overall on Friday night, retiring eight of the final nine batters he faced while tying his season high in strikeouts. He entered with the bases loaded in the seventh and induced an inning-ending fly ball to keep the Trailblazers off the board, then struck out a pair in the eighth before working around a one-out error in the ninth to end the game on a strikeout and a pop-up to short.
Starter Eli Saul lasted five innings, allowing five earned on seven hits while striking out three in the no decision before giving way to Max Pettey, who allowed a single hit and struck out five over 1.2 innings of work to keep the Hornets close.
Reliever Dillon Holliday (2-6) suffered the loss for Dixie State, allowing six runs on four hits and striking out three over two innings.
Steven Moretto and Trevor Doyle each finished with a pair of hits, while the former slugged his fourth home run of the season and drove in five on the night — finishing one shy of his career high of six RBI set in 2018 at UC Santa Barbara. Moretto's five RBI give him 137 for his career, moving him into third place on the all-time list behind only Matt Smith (158) and Tim Wheeler (142), while his 30th career home run tied him for second on the career list with Chris Kinsey and Will Fitzpatrick.
Both teams matched zeroes through the first three innings before Sacramento State broke up the shutout in the fourth. Sophomore Cesar Valero launched a full-count pitch from starter Jake Dahle over the wall in left for his 13th home run of the season to lead-off the inning and Moretto later added a sac fly for a 2-0 lead.
Entering the weekend tied atop the WAC leaderboard in home runs, Valero's 13 round-trippers are the most for a Hornet since Tim Wheeler crushed 18 in 2009.
The advantage lasted until the fifth when the Trailblazers rallied to take their first lead of the day, loading the bases thanks to three straight singles to start the inning — including a pair of bunt base hits. Saul struck out the next two hitters and was looking to get out of the inning unscathed, but Zach Thomas dropped a bases-clearing double down the left field line, giving Dixie State the 3-2 advantage.
Moretto's blast in the sixth off reliever Scott Wright scored Dawsen Bacho (hit by a pitch) and Josh Rolling (walk) ahead of him to regain the lead for Sacramento State, but Dixie State would rally again, scoring on a hit batter with the bases loaded and plating two on a successful squeeze that saw the second run come home on an error to regain the upper hand at 6-5.
However, that would be it for Dixie State in the run column as it was all Hornets from there on out. After a quiet seventh, Doyle scored Bacho thanks to a single through the right side with runners at the corners and one out to tie the game in the eighth, and Dylan McPhillips came through with a sac fly to score Moretto with the eventual game-winning run after a wild pitch put two in scoring position.
Sacramento State then gave itself some breathing room in the ninth as Jeffery Heard drew a walk, stole second with one out, and went to third after a walk to Jorge Bojorquez and a single by Bacho. A balk plated Heard and Bojorquez scored on a single by Rolling for a 9-6 advantage.
Following a pitching change, Moretto drove home another run with his second sac fly of the night — and his team-best eighth of the year after entering the game ranked in the top five in the nation in the category — and Doyle capped the scoring with a double down the left field line for the final 11-6 count.
Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday afternoon (April 23) at 1 p.m. PT, with Hornets' right-hander Noah Takacs scheduled to face right-hander Brett Porthan for the Trailblazers.
