SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State baseball team split its non-conference doubleheader with visiting Saint Mary's on Saturday, posting a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth by a 4-3 score in the opener before falling in the nightcap, 10-3.
The day's results moved the Hornets to 10-9 overall on the season, while the Gaels improved to 11-8 with the split.
Junior Luis Pimentel-Guerrero was the star at the plate in the doubleheader, finishing 4-for-8 with a run scored and three RBI, including the game-winning hit to help Sacramento State claim the opener.
Senior Tyler White also collected four hits on the day — two in each of the contests — while junior JP Smith finished with three hits and drove in a run while walking twice. Sophomore Cameron Sewell added a pair of hits and drove in two in the nightcap.
The Hornets play only their fifth road game of the season on Tuesday (March 18) at 6 p.m. as they make a return trip to Stockton, Calif., for a fourth meeting this year with Pacific. Sacramento State then opens Western Athletic Conference play at home next weekend, hosting UT Arlington on March 21-23 at John Smith Field.
GAME 1: SACRAMENTO STATE 4, SAINT MARY'S 3
Luis Pimentel-Guerrero's bases-loaded single up the middle scored teammate Tyler White with the winning run in the opener, lifting the Hornets to a 4-3 victory in game one.
Sacramento State held a 3-1 lead until the sixth when Saint Mary's was able to tie things up on a two-run home run by Eddie Madrigal to right centerfield.
Both teams had chances to break the deadlock with the Hornets stranding runners on in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, while the Gaels loaded the bases in the ninth with one out against closer Kade Brown, only to come up empty.
Momentum swinging its way in the bottom of the inning, White singled through the left side and was sacrificed to second by Ryan Christiansen. After JP Smith was intentionally walked, Jakob Poturnak drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases.
After a trip to the mound, Pimentel-Guerrero roped a single back up the middle against the drawn-in infield, easily plating White and setting up the celebration.
The walk-off was with the third for the Hornets this season and the second in as many weekends after they clinched the series against Pacific with a game-winning home run off the bat of Poturnak in the bottom of the 10th for a 1-0 win.
After the Gaels took an early 1-0 lead, Sacramento State answered back with two in the first on doubles by Smith and Pimentel-Guerrero to take a 2-1 advantage. That grew to a 3-1 lead in the second as Christiansen brought home the third run of the game with a single to right, scoring Jacob Cortez for the two-run advantage.
Brown (1-0) picked up his first win of the season to go with five saves on the year, allowing two hits in the ninth while striking out the pair to leave the bases full of Gaels. Starter Evan Gibbons left with a no-decision, but posted his third "quality start" of the season (in five total starts) after allowing three runs on five hits and striking out a pair over seven innings.
Noah Lucchesi pitched the eighth, allowing a hit and striking out one.
Diego Emerling (1-2) suffered the loss, allowing the winning run on two hits and walking a pair in his one-third of an inning.
GAME 2: SAINT MARY'S 10, SACRAMENTO STATE 3
The nightcap was nip-and-tuck through the first six innings on Saturday night until the Gaels broke open a one-run game with six unanswered over the final three innings en route to the victory.
Saint Mary's grabbed a 3-0 lead and led 4-3 heading into the final third of the game before tacking on single runs in the seventh and eighth innings and adding a four-run ninth to put the contest out of reach.
Sacramento State chipped away at the early deficit as Cameron Sewell had an RBI triple in the second to get the Hornets on the board and a bloop double behind the outstretched arm of the shortstop in the third off the bat of Pimentel-Guerrero made it 2-1.
After the Gaels rebuilt their lead to two in the fourth, Sewell drove home his second run of the day with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-3 before the Saint Mary's bats exploded.
The Hornets, once again, had their chances, but could not come up with the clutch hit, stranding 12 baserunners on the day — eight of those in scoring position.
Sewell, Pimentel-Guerrero, Smith, and White each finished with two hits on the day, while Poturnak, who had his 14-game hitting streak ended in the opener, and Christian Perez also posted hits.
Starter Tyler Stewart (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing two earned runs (four overall) on four hits and striking out two over four innings. Garret Plata (3-0) earned the win in relief while starter Donovan Chriss and John Damozonio combined to strikeout 10 batters (five apiece) on the day.
