SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento State baseball team posted its highest single-game run total since 2022 and combined for a season-high 17 hits on the night as the Hornets put up a three touchdown performance in a 21-9 midweek non-conference victory over visiting Nevada on Tuesday night at John Smith Field.
In improving to 9-11 overall on the season, Sacramento State scored the most runs since a 21-4 victory over Houston Christian on March 4, 2022, while the hit total was the highest since the Hornets finished with 22 hits against Pacific in an 18-15 victory on May 16, 2023. Included in the 21-run onslaught was a 10-run second inning that erased an early 5-0 deficit, posting the first double-digit scoring inning since scoring 10 runs in the fourth inning of that 2022 victory over the Huskies.
The Wolf Pack, who finished with 13 hits of their own on the night, fell to 8-10 overall on the year with the loss.
Noah Lucchesi (1-1) was credited with the win on the mound, throwing three scoreless innings while scattering two hits and striking out three. Kyle Becker (0-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing five runs on three hits and walking a pair while pitching only a third of an inning.
Senior Gunner Gouldsmith extended his team-best hitting streak to 13 games in a big way on Tuesday night, tying his career high with four hits in five at-bats, scoring three runs and and driving in a career-high four runs.
Three other Hornets — freshman Cameron Sewell, junior Elie Kligman, and junior Matt Masciangelo — all finished 3-for-5 on the night, combining to score seven runs and drive in 10 more. Masciangelo and junior Jose Ruiz also left the yard as part of that 10-run second inning, with the former launching a solo shot to lead-off the frame and the latter crushing a grand slam to center field to cap the scoring in the inning.
In the beginning, it looked as if the Wolf Pack were going to be the ones that were going to run away with the game as Michael Ball led off with a home run and Nevada added a pair of RBI singles later in the inning to take a 3-0 lead. The Wolf Pack tacked on two more in the second on Ball's second home run of the night — a two-run shot — for the 5-0 advantage, but that lead would be short-lived.
Sacramento State proceeded to send 13 batters to the plate in the decisive second inning as Masciangelo's home run broke up the shutout and Sewell brought home a second run by drawing a bases loaded walk following a pair of hit batters and another base on balls.
After a pitching change, Gouldsmith's sacrifice fly to center made it a two-run contest and a wild pitch put two in scoring position for Cesar Valero, who rocketed a double down the left field line to tie the game. He wasn't there long as Kligman took the first pitch he saw up the middle to score Valero and give the Hornets a lead they would not relinquish.
A pair of walks loaded the bases once again only to have Ruiz unload them, sending a 1-0 pitch over the wall to center field for a 10-5 advantage.
The scoring didn't end there as Nevada plated two in the third to narrow the gap only to have the Hornets put up another big inning, scoring five runs on a single by Gouldsmith, a two-run ground-rule double by Kligman, and a two-run single by Masciangelo to make it 15-7.
An error allowed a run to come home for the Wolf Pack in the fourth, but the Hornets kept pouring it on as Brett Ott scored on a wild pitch and Kligman added an RBI single three batters later before things began to calm down a bit.
Neither team was able to plate another run from the fifth to the seventh innings, with only one runner from each side able to reach second base in that span before the bats came alive once again.
Nevada was able to plate its final run of the night on a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth, but the Hornets kept coming thanks to an RBI double by Sewell, a two-run double by Gouldsmith, and a Masciangelo RBI single to right to cap a four-run frame.
Sacramento State makes the short trip to Stockton, Calif., for a second midweek contest on Wednesday (March 20) as the Hornets face Pacific for a second time this year. First pitch from Klein Family Field is scheduled for 5 p.m.
