SAN FRANCISCO — Sacramento State's offense exploded for a season-high 17 hits on the day — including six players with multiple hits — while sophomore closer Kade Brown struck out a career-high eight of the 10 batters he faced over the final 3.1 innings, helping the Hornets to a wild 19-11 victory over host San Francisco on Monday afternoon at Benedetti Diamond.
Thanks to the victory, Sacramento State earned a split of its season-opening series against the Dons as both teams moved to 2-2 overall on the year. The Hornets bookended wins in games one and four around USF wins in the middle two games.
Monday's 19-run outburst was the highest run total for Sacramento State since it put up 21 runs in a 21-9 victory over Nevada on March 19 of last season. The 17 hits were also a season high and the most since the Hornets clubbed 18 hits at UT Arlington on May 3 of last season. It marked the second straight game that the Hornets posted 10-or-more hits following up the 13 hits at home in game three of the season on Sunday (Feb. 16).
Ryan Christiansen, Jakob Poturnak, and Matt Masciangelo each finished with three hits on the day, while JP Smith, Elie Kligman, and Christian Perez had a pair of knocks en route to the team's season-high total. All told, eight of the nine starters finished with at least one hit, while 10 different Hornets drove in at least one run on the day.
Christiansen, Perez, and Smith all slugged home runs, with the first two collecting their first of the season while Smith hit his second — a grand slam as part of a five-run eighth that effectively put the game away. It was the first grand slam by a Hornet since Cameron Sewell's go-ahead slam at Seattle U on April 14 of last season and the third of Smith's career along with his slams against Grand Canyon on March 18, 2023, and Stanford on April 18, 2023.
Sacramento State threatened to run away with the contest early, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring four runs in both the first and second innings to build an 8-1 lead. Kligman put the Hornets ahead with a two-run single in the first followed by an RBI single by Masciangelo and a bases-loaded walk to Luis Pimentel-Guerrero.
In the second Poturnak walked with the bases loaded followed by Masciangelo's second RBI single of the day for a 6-1 lead. Luke Oyler drove in a run with an RBI fielder's choice and Tyler White, who leads the team with eight walks on the season, drew his second of three on the day to drove home the eighth run.
San Francisco cut the deficit in half with three runs in the fourth and another in the fifth around a run-scoring ground ball by Smith, but the Hornet bats weren't done. Sacramento State answered with a five-run top of the sixth as a single by Perez eluded the centerfielder and went all the way to the wall, scoring Myles Walton and was followed by Cameron Sewell's RBI single to make it 11-5.
Christiansen followed with his first blast of the season, a three-run shot that cleared the home run line on the net in right field, giving the Hornets a 14-5 advantage.
The Dons negated Sacramento State's big inning with a five-run home half of the sixth, that would have been just one run, but the third out of the inning was overturned on replay, allowing USF to plate four more runs.
Brown then entered with the bases loaded and needed only two pitches to quell the threat, getting Jimmy Pelletier to fly out and end the inning, keeping it a four-run game.
That was until the Hornet bats came alive for one more inning, scoring five runs in the eighth to put the game away. Perez sent the second pitch he saw from reliever Miles Durvasula over the line in right for his first home run as a Hornet and, after three one-out walks, Smith left the field over the left field wall for a grand slam, putting his team ahead, 19-10.
San Francisco plated a harmless run in the ninth on a home run by Pelletier, but Brown closed out the game with a ground ball and strikeout for his second save of the season. Now with 10 saves in his career, Brown moved into a tie for eighth on school's all-time list along with Jeff Roth (2008-09) and Billy Sinacori (2004-07).
Noah Lucchesi (1-0) was credited with the win in relief, allowing five runs on four hits over 1.2 innings — four of those coming after the overturned call in the Dons' half of the sixth when the Hornets should have been out of the inning.
Starter Cal Amborn (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing the first four runs on four hits while walking three in one inning of work. In all, the San Francisco pitching staff issued 10 walks to Sacramento State hitters on the day — the second time in the series that the Hornets drew double-digit walks after collecting 11 free bases in the series opener.
It's a quick turnaround for Sacramento State, which has Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare for a second four-game series against Ball State. The Hornets and Cardinals open with a single game on Thursday (Feb. 20), followed by a Friday (Feb. 21) doubleheader, and a Saturday (Feb. 22) single-game finale.
First pitch for all three days is scheduled for 2 p.m. at John Smith Field.
