LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. — The Sacramento State men's golf team withstood a charge from Weber State to maintain its overall team lead following the second round of the Big Sky Championship on Wednesday at Wigwam Golf Club. The Hornets finished the second round at 3-under par and are now 10-under overall. Weber State climbed from third to second place after totaling 6-under par on Wednesday and are four shots back of Sacramento State.

Jeffrey Perry recorded his lowest round as a Hornet, shooting 68 in the second round. Perry birdied the first hole and added birdies on the par-5 fourth and par-3 sixth to stand at 3-under at the turn. He was 1-under on the back nine with a birdie on the par-3 16th. Overall, the senior was bogey free during the round with four birdies and 14 pars. He moved into a tie for eighth place at 75-68-143.

Gabriel Smith was 1-under in the second round and is tied for third overall at 69-71-140. Smith is one stroke off the lead shared by Weber State's Brendan Thomas and Idaho's Joe Sykes. Smith also began the second round with a birdie but was briefly 1-over following a double bogey on the par-3 third. He returned to even on the next hole and then picked up birdies on Nos. 10 and 13 to get to 2-under. He parred four of the final five holes with the exception being a bogey on the par-4 15th.

Jake Aberle is tied with Smith for third place. Aberle, who shot 67 in the first round, added a score of 73 on Wednesday. He was 1-under on the front side of the course with birdies on the par-5 fourth and par-4 ninth along with a bogey on the par-3 sixth. His back nine consisted of two pars and four bogeys to leave him at 1-over for the day.

Luke Dugger matched Aberle's score of 73 and is tied for eighth place overall alongside Perry. Dugger battled through a tough start which saw him bogey the first two holes and then double the par-3 third to get to 4-over. He responded with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 4 and 5 before a bogey on the par-4 ninth had him at 3-over at the midway point of his round. Dugger played the back nine at 2-under with the help of birdies on Nos. 10 and 14 (both par-5) and seven pars.

Zach Mate moved up two spots in the standings after shooting 74 in the second round. Mate had a pair of birdies and double bogeys on the front nine. He added three birdies, a bogey and a double bogey on the last half of the course to finish at 2-over for the day.

The final round of the tournament will begin at 6:30 a.m. PT on Thursday. The winning team will earn an automatic berth to the Big Sky Championship.

BIG SKY MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Litchfield Park, Ariz. | Wigwam GC (Gold Course)
Par 72 | 7,051 Yards

Team Standings
1. Sacramento State 281-285-566
2. Weber State 288-282-570
2. Idaho 285-289-574
4. Northern Colorado 294-290-584

Individual Top Five
T1. Brendan Thomas, WSU, 71-68-139
T1. Joe Sykes, UI, 69-701-39
T3. Gabriel Smith, SAC, 69-71-140
T3. Jake Aberle, SAC, 67-73-140
T5. Isaac Buerger, WSU, 71-70-141
T5. Hayden Banz, WSU, 70-71-141

Sacramento State Scores
T3. Gabriel Smith 69-71-140
T3. Jake Aberle 67-73-140
T8. Luke Dugger 70-73-143
T8. Jeffrey Perry 75-68-143
T17. Zach Mate 77-74-151