RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Freshman Wehiwa Aloy finished with three hits for his 27th multi-hit game of the season and senior Martin Vincelli-Simard inched closer to the school's career record with his 33rd career home run, but a big eighth inning for host California Baptist broke a 7-7 tie and lifted the Lancers to a 12-7 win over the Hornets on Saturday evening in Riverside, Calif.
Sacramento State fell to 25-26 overall and 10-16 in Western Athletic Conference series play. CBU improved to 28-23 overall and 15-11 in league games.
Aloy, who had two hits in Friday night's opener, logged his fourth three-hit game of the year, slugging his 13th home run of the season in the fifth and adding an RBI double in the seventh that led to the Hornets' erasing a three-run deficit and tying the game.
Gunner Gouldsmith, playing in only his second game back from injury, finished with a pair of hits and two runs scored, while Vincelli-Simard, Cesar Valero, and Jacob Cortez added hist on the night.
A lead-off home run by the Lancers gave the home side an early lead, but Sacramento State put up a big inning in the fourth after being held to without a hit through the first three frames. Gouldsmith singled to lead-off the frame and moved to second on an Aloy single to center. That brought up Vincelli-Simard, who launched his team-best 15th home run of the season over the wall in left for a 3-1 lead — the third time in the last four games that the senior has left the yard.
The blast moved him to within two of Harvey Hargrove's career record of 35 home runs from 1995-97, while his 15 home runs this season matched Gabe Jacobo's 2008 total for eighth on the single-season list. Coupled with Aloy's home run later in the game, the Hornets now have 80 home runs as a team, moving them to within three of the 1998 squad that finished with 83 as a team.
Sacramento State wasn't done in the inning, however, as Jeffery Heard was hit by pitch with two outs and quickly scored as Valero brought him home all the way around from first with a double to the wall in right centerfield for a 4-1 advantage.
That lead didn't last long as California Baptist responded with a big inning of its own — all with two outs. Three home runs in four plate appearances gave the Lancers a 5-4 lead and back-to-back hits after a single plated two more to make it a 7-4 game.
Aloy clawed a run back in the fifth with his home run and was the catalyst to the Hornets tying the game in the seventh. After Gouldsmith reached on an error, Aloy doubled high off the wall in right field, which would have put two on for Sacramento State. However, the relay throw to the plate sailed wide into the dugout as the umpire allowed both runners to come home and tie the score.
Following a quiet top of the eighth, CBU made some noise in the home half to take the lead for good. Back-to-back errors by the Hornets drove home the go-ahead run, which was followed by a sacrifice fly, a two-run home run, and an RBI single three batters later for the final 12-7 count.
Gouldsmith reached on a single with one out in the ninth, but Sacramento State could muster no more as a pair of strikeouts ended the game.
After their four home runs in Friday's opener, the Hornets have now homered in nine of their last 10 games — seven of those games with multiple home runs. Sacramento State has failed to homer in only 13 of its 51 games this year.
The final game of the three-game series will begin at Noon on Sunday (May 14).
