SACRAMENTO -- Gunner Gouldsmith continued his torrid start to the season with five hits on Saturday and the Hornet offense slugged four home runs on the day as Sacramento State split a Western Athletic Conference doubleheader with visiting Grand Canyon at John Smith Field.
The Hornets, who won the first game in a slugfest by a 13-8 score before coming up just shy in the nightcap by a 7-6 score, moved to 10-9 overall and 1-2 in league play, while the 'Lopes moved to 14-5 overall and 5-1 in conference action.
Freshman JP Smith (a grand slam), junior Josh Rolling (a two-run shot), and senior Martin Vincelli-Simard (also a grand slam) all left the yard in the opener, while Cesar Valero nearly brought Sacramento State all the way back in the second game, slamming a three-run home run in the ninth.
All-in-all, the offense produced 25 hits on the day, with nine of those going for extra bases.
The Hornets close out a run that has seen them play 15 of their first 19 at home on Wednesday (March 22) at 6 p.m., hosting San Jose State in a game that was originally scheduled for April 4.
GAME 1: SACRAMENTO STATE 13, GRAND CANYON 8
Freshman JP Smith and senior Martin Vincelli-Simard each slugged grand slams on the day — the latter putting an exclamation point on a decisive five-run eighth inning — as the Hornets outslugged the 'Lopes for a 13-8 win.
Gunner Gouldsmith and Josh Rolling each added three hits, with the former scoring three times and the latter driving in three runs, while Smith and Wehiwa Aloy added two hits apiece to power a 13-hit attack.
After spotting Grand Canyon a pair of runs in the first, the Hornets exploded for six of their own in the home half — their largest scoring single inning of the year. A walk and back-to-back singles loaded the bases for Vincelli-Simard, who lofted a ball deep into centerfield, enough to score Cesar Valero for the 1-0 lead.
After Jeffery Heard was hit by a pitch to re-load the bases, Rolling followed by bouncing a single through the left side, scoring Aloy to tie the game.
GCU got one out closer to working out the jam with a pop-up, but Smith was quick to unload the bases, sending a 2-1 pitch over the wall in left centerfield for a grand slam and a 6-2 lead. It was the freshman's second home run of the season and the first grand slam by a Hornet since Jorge Bojorquez cleared the bases at Utah Tech on April 23 of last season.
The score stayed that way until the fourth when the 'Lopes had a big inning of their own, scoring five times to take a one-run lead, with the big blow coming off the bat of Homer Bush, Jr., who slugged a three-run home run in the inning and finished the day 5-for-5 and a triple short of the cycle.
That advantage didn't last long as Rolling regained the lead for Sacramento State with a two-run home run of his own — his third of the season — in the fifth, scoring Gouldsmith ahead of him for an 8-7 advantage.
A sacrifice fly in the sixth by Grand Canyon tied the game up at eight-all before the wheels fall off for the 'Lopes in the eighth. A pair of hit batters and a walk with one out loaded the bases for Gouldsmith, but a wild pitch allowed Bojorquez to slide home safely for the go-ahead run.
Gouldsmith was then intentionally walked to re-load the bases for Vincelli-Simard, who send the second pitch he saw over the wall in left for the Hornets' second grand slam of the day and a 13-8 lead.
It was the first time that Sacramento State has hit two grand slams in a single game since March 30, 2014, when Brandon Hunley and Will Soto accomplished the feat at New Mexico State in a 20-6 victory.
Jack Zalasky, who came on in relief to get the final out of the eighth, then retired the 'Lopes in order in the ninth to pick up his first win of the year. Shawn Triplett (5-1) suffered his first loss of the year, allowing the final five runs on three hits, while walking two in his lone inning of work.
GAME 2: GRAND CANYON 7, SACRAMENTO STATE 6
Cesar Valero's second home run of the season over the left field wall brought the Hornets to within a single run, but Grand Canyon wriggled off the hook, getting a fly ball and a ground out to end the game and take the series with a 7-6 win in the nightcap.
Valero was one of five Hornets to finish with two nights on the night as Wehiwa Aloy, Gunner Gouldsmith, Martin Vincelli-Simard, and Jorge Bojorquez joined him in the two-hit club. Aloy and Bojorquez added doubles, while the latter finished with two RBI.
Trailing after three innings, Bojorquez's seeing-eye ground ball found its way through the right side, scoring Gouldsmith to put the Hornets on the board. He added another run driven in with a double in the sixth, which was followed by a run-scoring ground ball from JP Smith to make it a two-run game.
Grand Canyon answered with a pair in the top of the seventh to extend the lead to four, but the Hornets would not go quietly. Smith singled to lead-off the frame and moved to second when Josh Rolling reached on a dropped third strike to put two on for Valero, who cranked a 1-0 offering over the wall in left to make it 7-6.
The 'Lopes, however, escaped with no further damage as Aloy's flyball to left came up short of the warning track and a ground ball ended the game, preserving the one-run win.
Connor Markl (2-0) earned the win for GCU, allowing three runs on nine hits and striking out four over 5.1 innings, while Evan Gibbons (1-2) suffered the loss for the Hornets, striking out three over six innings of work.
