ST. GEORGE, Utah — Junior Jose Ruiz finished 3-for-4 while sophomore teammate Ryan Christiansen drove in a pair of runs as part of a two-hit day, but Sacramento State could not find one more rally on Sunday afternoon, falling in the series finale at Utah Tech by a 5-4 score.
The loss dropped the Hornets to 8-11 overall and evened up their Western Athletic Conference record at 3-3 in league play. In taking 2-of-3 from Sacramento State, the Trailblazers improved to 5-15 overall and 3-3 in league play.
Ruiz, who picked up at least one hit in all three games of the series, posted a Sacramento State career high with his three hits on the day and collected his third multi-hit performance of the year. Two of his three hits went for doubles, while he set the table and scored a pair of runs on the day.
Christiansen had two hits on Sunday, driving in two of the Hornets' four runs with a pair of RBI singles, while Matt Masciangelo finished 2-for-4 with a run scored for his fourth multi-hit game of the year.
The two teams traded home runs to open the game as Utah Tech's Hunter Katschke left the years in the home half of the first, only to be matched by the bat of Elie Kligman, who clubbed his first home run as a Hornet cleared the fence in right center field in the second to tie the game at one apiece.
Kligman's round-tripper made him the seventh Sacramento State player to hit a home run this season, while extending the team's streak with a home run to nine consecutive games (13 total in that stretch) — its longest since run since going 10 straight games (24 total) with a home run from March 25-April 11, 2008.
The Hornets kept the runners moving on the basepaths as Masciangelo singled with two outs and moved all the way to third on a Ruiz single. That brought up sophomore Ryan Christiansen, whose single through the right side plated Masciangelo to break the tie, while senior Gunner Gouldsmith laced a single to right field for a 3-1 advantage.
Gouldsmith's single extended his hitting streak to 12 consecutive games for the longest streak by a Hornet since current teammate JP Smith collected at least one hit in 16 consecutive games from April 15-May 12 of last season.
Sacramento State's advantage didn't last long as the Trailblazers answered quickly in the home half of the second on an RBI double and another on an error that allowed a run to score when the inning should have been over.
It stayed that way until the fourth when the Hornets rallied once again. Ruiz lifted another double down the left field line with one out and scored on the very next pitch when Christiansen lined a single through the left side to break the tie and five the Hornets a tenuous 4-3 advantage.
The Trailblazers then took the lead for good by scoring twice in the home half of the fifth on an RBI single and a ground ball to the left side for the final 5-4 margin.
Sacramento State had its chances from there, but left the bases loaded in the sixth and had back-to-back singles to lead-off the eighth only to come up empty.
Kade Brown (1-1) was charged with the loss in relief, allowing two runs on two hits over two innings while striking out four. Matt Nelson (1-0) picked up the win in relief for the Trailblazers, allowing just two base runners in his two innings of work before Ryan Hardman locked up his third save of the year while three strikeouts over two scoreless, hitless relief.
The Hornets have a busy week upon their return from Utah, playing five games in six days with four of those at John Smith Field. Sacramento State opens on Tuesday (March 19) against Nevada at 6 p.m., before making a short trek south to Stockton, Calif., for a rematch with Pacific on Wednesday (March 20) at 6 p.m.
Western Athletic Conference play then resumes for the Hornets beginning Friday (March 22), opening a three-game weekend series against Abilene Christian.
