FRESNO, Calif. -- Gunner Gouldsmith and Martin Vincelli-Simard each finished with three hits on the night and five Hornet pitchers combined on the six-hit shutout, helping lift Sacramento State to a 9-0 victory over Fresno State on Wednesday night at Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium.
In posting their second shutout of the season, the Hornets improved to 9-7 overall on the year and snapped a three-game losing streak in the process. Coupled with its win over the Bulldogs on May 10 of last season, Sacramento State has now posted back-to-back wins over Fresno State for the first time since 2014 and the first shutout of the 'Dogs since a 4-0 win in 2008.
Led by a pair of two-hit nights from Jaden Sheppard and Travis Welker, Fresno State fell to 8-7 overall on the year.
Six different Hornets accounted for the team's 12 hits on the night as they finished with their second-highest hit total of the year behind only the 14 against Nevada on March 2. Meanwhile, the pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts against the Bulldogs' lineup, the second-highest total in that category since they finished with 13 in the series finale against North Dakota State.
Gouldsmith, who finished a triple short of the cycle with a 3-for-4 performance and three runs scored, homered for the second straight contest to get Sacramento State on the board in the first inning, collected his third multi-hit game of the year, and his second career three-hit game.
Vincelli-Simard finished 3-for-5 at the plate with a double and two RBI, tying his career high for hits in his fifth career three-hit game, last accomplishing the feat against UT Rio Grande Valley on May 27, 2022. It was also his fifth multi-hit game of the year.
Cesar Valero also added two hits and drove in a pair at the top of the lineup, while freshman Jacob Cortez — who was making his first career start — collected his first career RBI, his first career hit, and his first career multi-hit game.
After Gouldsmith's homer in the first staked the Hornets to the early lead, Sacramento State broke the game wide-open with a five-run fourth, sending nine batters to the plate. Back-to-back doubles by Gouldsmith and Vincelli-Simard made it a 2-0 lead before Cortez came through with a sacrifice fly for a three-run lead.
Jeffery Heard followed with a two-run double, scoring Garet Crenshaw and Josh Rolling, and Valero followed with a single through the left side to make it a 6-0 advantage.
Sacramento State then capped the scoring with a three-run ninth as Vincelli-Simard added a bases-loaded RBI single to score Ryan Christansen, while Wehiwa Aloy and Griffin Harrison added sacrifice flies to cap the scoring.
Fresno State stranded four runners in scoring position on the night, but could not push a run across as only one runner reached third base.
Freshman Xavier Richards started and struck out a pair in two perfect innings before Zach Gagnon took over in the third and was credited with the win after scattering three hits and striking out three in his two innings of work.
Cooper Rons had the longest outing of any Hornet hurler, striking out a Sacramento State career-high five over his three innings of work, before Tyler Stewart and Jack Zalasky pitched the eighth and ninth, respectively, to close out the game.
After improving to 3-0 in midweek games this year, the Hornets open Western Athletic Conference play with a three-game series this weekend, welcoming Grand Canyon to John Smith Field. The series begins with a 6 p.m. first pitch on Friday (March 17), followed by a 4 p.m. start on Saturday (March 18), and a Noon start in the Sunday (March 19) series finale.
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