MORAGA, Calif. -- Jeffery Heard finished a home run short of the cycle as part of a three-hit day while Gunner Gouldsmith's bases-loaded triple in the sixth scored three to give the Hornets the lead for good, helping lift Sacramento State to an 8-6 victory over host Saint Mary's on Tuesday at Louis Guisto Field.

The Hornets won their second straight midweek contest and posted their fifth win in their last six contests overall, improving to 21-19 on the year and avenging an 8-2 loss at the hands of the Gaels back on March 8 at John Smith Field. Saint Mary's fell to 22-19 overall, suffering its seventh loss in its last nine games.

Ryan Fleming (2-1) earned the win in relief, allowing a pair of runs on two hits while striking out a pair in 1.2 innings of work, the beneficiary of a four-run sixth inning that rallied Sacramento State from down a run. Jack Zalasky entered in the eighth inning of a two-run contest with the tying run at the plate and nailed down his fifth save of the season, getting a ground ball to end the inning before working around a two-out walk in the ninth by getting a ground ball back to the mound to end the game.

Ryan Sanders (3-2) suffered the loss for the Gaels, allowing three runs on two hits without recording an out after starter Jackson Hulett went 5.1 innings, allowing a pair of runs on seven hits and striking out six.

After collecting two hits in a game 10 different times this year, Heard's three hits on Tuesday were a career high as the freshman from San Jose, Calif., doubled in the second, singled and scored in the sixth, and tripled to drive in two before scoring in the seventh.

Josh Rolling and Trevor Doyle also chipped in with two hits apiece as eight of the nine Hornet starters finished with hits on the night.

Sacramento State collected five hits through the first four innings, but found itself down a pair of runs after the Gaels put up single runs in the second on fourth innings on run-scoring ground balls for a 2-0 lead.

Nick Iwasa then led-off the fifth with the first of three Hornet triples on the night, eventually coming home on a Doyle sacrifice fly two batters later to halve the Saint Mary's advantage. Sacramento State then brook open the game with its huge sixth inning, scoring four times on three hits to take the lead.

Cesar Valero knocked a one-out single and moved to second when Heard singled through the right side. Both moved up on a wild pitch and remained in scoring position after Rolling drew a walk to load the bases. That brought up Gouldsmith, who emptied the bases with a fly ball to center that was just out of the reach of the outfielder, bouncing up against the wall for a three-base hit and a 4-2 Hornet advantage.

After scoring his team's first run of the game, Iwasa gave Sacramento State a little breathing room after a pitching change, lifting a fly ball to right that was deep enough to score Gouldsmith for a 5-2 lead.

The Gaels tightened the game up with two runs in their half of the sixth on a two-run single by Riley Lamb that made it 5-4, but the Hornets answered with three more in the seventh as Heard snuck a ball over the first base bag and into the right field corner with runners at the corners, easily plating a pair for a 7-4 advantage. Rolling then cashed in Heard with a single through the left side to make it a four-run game.

After a quiet seventh, Saint Mary's made a game of it again in the eighth on a two-run home run by Blake Mann, but Zalasky stranded a runner on a ground ball to end the frame and retired the side in the ninth to nail down the win.

The save was the ninth of Zalasky's career, moving him into a tie for ninth on the school's all-time list alongside Brian Yackovich (1981-82) and Renecke Stelzriede (2003-04). His next will bump him up into a tie for seventh with Jeff Roth (2008-09) and Billy Sinacori (2004-07), who each posted 10 saves in their respective Hornet careers.

Sacramento State resumes Western Athletic Conference play this weekend at home, welcoming California Baptist to Northern California for a three-game series at John Smith Field. The Hornets and Lancers open their series on Friday (April 29) at 6 p.m., before a pair of afternoon games scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday (April 30) and Noon on Sunday (May 1).