SACRAMENTO — Sacramento State scored three times in the final two innings and had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Hornets came up short on Saturday afternoon against Minnesota as the Golden Gophers took game two from the Hornets by the score of 7-4 at John Smith Field.
Sacramento State fell to 4-6 with the defeat, splitting the two-game series with Minnesota in the first meeting between the two schools since 2017. The Golden Gophers improved to 3-5 on the year, scoring six times in the first three innings before weathering the Hornet comeback.
Junior Matt Masciangelo finished 3-for-4 with a walk and three RBI in a career day for him in the green and gold, while freshman Myles Walton collected the first two hits of his career as part of a 2-for-4 day with a pair of runs scored. Five other Sacramento State hitters finished with hits.
Helped along by a trio of two-hit games, Minnesota starter Connor Wietgrefe (1-0) went seven strong innings, allowing just one run on five hits and striking out four.
Evan Gibbons (0-1) suffered the loss for the Hornets, charged with six runs on seven hits over the first four innings before giving way to the bullpen where three relievers — Noah Lucchesi, Andrew Monson, and Ian Winterhalder — combined to allow just one run on three hits while striking out five over the final five innings.
The Golden Gophers scored one in the first, two in the second, and three in the third — all coming on a combined six hits — to put Sacramento State in an early hole.
Masciangelo put the Hornets on the board for the first time with an RBI double down the right field line to break up the shutout, and added another in the eighth when Walton doubled, moved to third on Gunner Gouldsmith's one-out single, and scored on Cesar Valero's two-out hit to make it 6-2.
Minnesota added its seventh run on an RBI double in the ninth, but Sacramento State still had life in the lineup.
Tyler White led-off with a single and moved to second with one out when Jacob Cortez was hit by a pitch. After a pitching change, Jose Ruiz walked to load the bases and the Hornets plated a pair when Masciangelo lined a double down the right field line to make it 7-4. With runners now at second and third, but down to their last out, Sacramento State was unable to keep the rally going as reliever Thomas Gross got a strikeout to end the game.
Masciangelo's three-hit game allowed him to reach base safely for the ninth consecutive contest — the longest by a Hornet this year — while White and Gouldsmith extended their hitting streaks to three games each.
John Smith Field will be the site of a doubleheader on Sunday (March 3) beginning at 1 p.m. as Minnesota will take on Pacific, followed by the Hornets and Tigers 90 minutes following the completion of the first game.
