SACRAMENTO — Senior right-hander Evan Gibbons became the first Hornet pitcher to throw back-to-back complete games since 2021 and the Sacramento State offense blasted a pair of home runs as part of a 12-hit day en route to a 12-1 victory in seven innings over Stephen F. Austin on Friday afternoon at John Smith Field.
In a game that took only an hour and 39 minutes to complete, the Hornets improved to 24-27 overall and 12-13 in Western Athletic Conference play, winning a series opener for the fourth time in its last five weekends. The Lumberjacks fell to 9-41 overall and 5-23 in conference play with the loss.
Gibbons (5-4) stymied the SFA bats, allowing only two hits, walking one, and tying a career high with eight strikeouts on the day. He becomes the first Hornet with two complete games in a season since Scott Randall and Travis Adams in 2021 and the first since Randall to do so in back-to-back starts.
The Elk Grove, Calif., native has allowed only two earned runs on four hits in his last two starts against UT Arlington and Stephen F. Austin, striking out eight and working around five walks as Sacramento State has outscored the opposition 25-3 in those two outings.
Randall accomplished the feat against Tarleton State on March 12 of that year and followed it up with his second against Utah Valley on March 19. Randall combined to allow three runs on 11 hits and struck out 13 against only one walk in those two victories.
Offensively, the bottom half of the Hornet order combined to drive in all 12 runs as senior Cesar Valero was 3-for-4 with his eighth home run of the season and four RBI, while both Matt Masciangelo and Ryan Christiansen each had a pair of hits and drove in three runs apiece — the latter cranking his third home run of the campaign.
Sacramento State scored three runs in the first, two in the second, three in the fourth, and four more in the sixth en route to the victory, with a sacrifice fly by Masciangelo and back-to-back RBI singles from Valero and Cameron Sewell staking the Hornets to the early lead in the opening frame.
Masciangelo drove in two more with a single in the second to extend the lead to 5-0 before the Lumberjacks broke up the shutout with an RBI double. Valero's long ball in the home half of the fourth — a three-run shot — got the run back and more, and the Hornets capped the scoring in the sixth as Jacob Cortez's sacrifice fly starting the run before Christiansen's blast on the first pitch he saw plated the final runs.
Sophomore JP Smith was 2-for-3 with a double, three runs scored, and a walk, while senior Jorge Bojorquez and Gunner Gouldsmith added hits on the day.
Starter Jack James (0-5) took the loss for Stephen F. Austin, allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits and walking a pair over three innings.
Friday marked the quickest game of the year, surpassing the 1:53 against California Baptist in a 1-0 result back on April 5, and was the third game under two hours for the Hornets this year. It was the fastest game since Sacramento State needed only an hour and 38 minutes to shutout Chicago State, 10-0, on April 7, 2018.
Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday (May 11) at 7 p.m.
