SACRAMENTO — Senior Gunner Gouldsmith finished 5-for-5 on the night with a pair of RBI and sophomore JP Smith inched closer to history with his 20th home run of the season on Saturday night, but visiting Stephen F. Austin was able to hold off Sacramento State's ninth-inning rally bid for a 7-5 victory in game two of their Western Athletic Conference series at John Smith Field.
The Hornets fell to 24-28 overall and 12-14 in WAC play, while the Lumberjacks improved to 10-41 overall and 6-23 in league play.
Gouldsmith's five hits — four singles and a double — were a career high and ranks third on the school's single-game list, trailing only Brandon Marshall's six hits against UC Davis in 1998 and Jim Greene's record of seven hits against the Aggies in 1962. Gouldsmith is the first Hornet to collect five hits in a game since teammate Cesar Valero did so against Houston Christian (then Houston Baptist) on March 4, 2022.
Meanwhile, Smith's home run in the eighth — a two-run shot that made it a one-run game at the time — made him only the second Hornet to hit 20 home runs in a season, joining Harvey Hargrove and his single-season record 26 home runs in 1997. Smith, who now has 34 home runs for his two-year Sacramento State career, is now just one shy of tying the all-time mark shared by Hargrove (1995-97) and Martin Vincelli-Simard (2019-23).
The Hornets tried to answer every punch thrown by Stephen F. Austin, but the Lumberjacks showcased their power on Saturday night, slugging five home runs to account for all but two of their runs on the night. SFA jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with a solo shot to lead-off the game and back-to-back solo shots to lead-off the second.
Sacramento State answered to make it a one-run game in the home half of the season as Cameron Sewell reached on a one-out single and scored on a Ryan Christiansen double down the right field line to break-up the shutout. Gouldsmith followed with a double of his own, trading places with Christiansen to make it a 3-2 contest.
A sacrifice fly in the third and another solo home run in the fourth rebuilt the three-run lead, but the Hornets kept chipping away as Gouldsmith's single up the middle plated Jacob Cortez to make it 5-3.
It was 6-3 in the eighth as Sacramento State found a way to rally once again. Gouldsmith reached on a two-out infield single and scored two pitches later when Smith left the yard over the left field wall, closing the gap to 6-5.
That would be as close as the Hornets would get, however, as the Lumberjacks' fifth home run of the night to lead-off the ninth put Stephen F. Austin back up by a pair, but the end was not without drama.
Junior Matt Masciangelo was hit by a pitch — his 26th of the season — and moved to second on a two-out walk to Sewell to bring the winning run to the plate. The Lumberjacks wriggled off the hook, however, getting a strikeout to end the game, stranding a pair.
Elian Balmaceda (2-6) earned the win in relief for SFA, allowing a run on one hit and striking out two over 2.1 innings in relief of starter Kade Parker. Reid Boyett then came on to earn his first save of the year, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out three over the final 4.2 innings.
Tyler Stewart (4-4) suffered the loss, allowing four earned on five hits and striking out three over four innings. Cooper Rons (2.1 innings) and Max Pettey (2.2 innings) each allowed a run, but combined for eight strikeouts on the night without a walk to keep the Hornets close.
Game three of the series is scheduled for Noon on Sunday (May 12) with a series in the balance. The Sacramento State senior class will be honored for their contributions to the program following the final out as part of "Senior Day" festivities.
GAME NOTES: Prior to the game, Gouldsmith was honored with the seventh-annual Daryl Horn Award, named after the former Hornet letter winner (1988-89) and member of the school's 1988 NCAA Division II College World Series team. The award is given to the baseball student-athlete who exhibits a "strong commitment to leadership, loyalty, and a passion to be the ultimate teammate."
