SACRAMENTO -- Cesar Valero, Jorge Bojorquez, and Martin Vincelli-Simard each slugged home runs on the night to help power a Sacramento State comeback, but the host Hornets could not complete the comeback, falling to Grand Canyon by a 9-6 score on Friday night in their Western Athletic Conference opener at John Smith Field.
Sacramento State fell to 9-8 overall on the season and 0-1 in league play, losing a series opener for the first time since April 30, 2021 — also against the 'Lopes — snapping a string of 20 consecutive victories in series openers. Grand Canyon improved to 13-4 overall and 4-0 in league play with the victory.
In slight schedule change, the two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday (March 18) beginning at 2 p.m., with the second game to follow. The change was made due to rain in the forecast for Sunday (March 19).
After spotting the 'Lopes a 7-0 lead after a big five-run third inning, the Hornets began to chip away. Bojorquez cleared the wall in left field for his second home run of the season to get his team on the board in the home half of the fourth, and put up three more scores in the sixth to close to within three.
Bojorquez started the rally with a single and moved to second when Gunner Gouldsmith drew a walk to put a pair on for Vincelli-Simard, who slapped a single to left to drive in the first run of the inning. After a fly ball for the first out, Josh Rolling drew a walk to load the bases and Gouldsmith came home with the second run on a balk issued to the Grand Canyon pitcher.
Junior catcher Sam Gilliam then strode to the plate and laced a single to centerfield, driving home Vincelli-Simard to make it 7-4. Gilliam collected his first hit and his first RBI in the process, finishing 1-for-3 on the day.
The 'Lopes got one of the runs back in the seventh, but the power display from the Hornet lineup wasn't done as Sacramento State put up two more runs in the home half to make it a two-run ballgame. Valero greeted Grand Canyon reliever Carson Ohl with a first-pitch no-doubter to left field — his first of the season — and was followed two batters later by Vincelli-Simard, who launched a ball over the wall just to the left of dead center — his third of the year — to make it 8-6.
That would be as close as the Hornets would be able to get as the 'Lopes bullpen induced a pair of rally-killing double plays in the final two innings and Grand Canyon tacked on one more run in the eighth en route to the final 9-6 score.
Junior right-hander Jasper Nelson (0-1), who hadn't given up a run all year, took the loss, allowing five earned on six hits over 3.2 innings. Zach Thornton (3-0) remained perfect on the year for GCU, allowing four runs on eight hits and striking out seven over six innings of work. Cody Tucker picked up his first save of the year, allowing just one hit over the final two innings.
With his home run, Valero extended his hitting streak to five straight games — the longest active streak on the team — while freshman Wehiwa Aloy picked up the team's first hit of the day, reaching base safely in his 17th consecutive game to start the year. The two-hit game by Vincelli-Simard was his sixth multi-hit game of the season, tying him with Rolling and Aloy for the team lead, while Bojorquez collected his fifth.
Meanwhile, the three home runs tied a season high, matching the three-home run game by the Hornets against Nevada on March 2. Sacramento State has hit a home run in each of its last three games while the 17 home runs as a team matches last season's total though the first 17 games.
