DAVIS, Calif. — The Sacramento State baseball team scored eight times over the final three innings to break open a one-run game and the Hornets evened up the midweek series with their Causeway rivals UC Davis thanks to an 8-2 victory on Tuesday night at Phil Swimley Field at Dobbins Stadium in Davis, Calif.
The win pushed Sacramento State's record to 21-15 overall on the season, snapping a four-game losing streak in the series with Aggies in the process. It was the Hornets' first win over UC Davis since May 9, 2023, and the first win over the Aggies in Davis since April 17, 2018.
UC Davis fell to 16-19 overall with the loss as the two programs will meet in the rubber game of the series on April 29 at 6 p.m. at John Smith Field in Sacramento.
It took a while for the offense to get going on Tuesday night for the Hornets but, when it did, Sacramento State came up clutch. Entering the seventh with only three hits on the night, senior Tyler White led-off in the inning with a double and scored two batters later on a single through the right side by Cameron Sewell to tie the game at one apiece.
A single by Jakob Poturnak followed, putting runners at the corners for Elie Kligman, who snuck a double inside the third base bag following a UC Davis pitching change that gave the Hornets the lead for good. Michael Perazzo added an RBI single two batters later for a 3-1 lead.
The Aggies clawed one of those runs back in the eighth on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly, but
Andrew Monson stranded the tying run in scoring position with a spinning throw to first that retired Matteo Blandino to end the inning.
That's when the Sacramento State offense exploded with two outs to put the game out of reach. A one-out double by Kligman, a walk by
Nikhil Beasley, and a bunt single by Perazzo had the bases loaded for
Ryan Christiansen. The junior, down to his final strike, then dropped a single into centerfield that scored a pair for a 5-2 lead and was followed by White, who took a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left for a three-run shot (his fourth of the season) for the final 8-2 advantage.
Monson, who picked up his second save of the year with 1.2 shutout innings of work, then retired the Aggies in order in the bottom of the ninth with a ground ball, a strikeout, and a fly ball.
Freshman
Jackson Halverson (1-1) earned his first collegiate victory in relief, allowing just one hit over two innings. Freshman
Baylor Sandberg allowed a run on three hits in the start and was followed by the bullpen of
Bryce Stockton, Halverson,
Sean Carey, and Monson that stymied UC Davis to the tune of four hits and an unearned run over the final eight frames.
Rowen Barnes (0-1) suffered the loss in relief, allowing three runs on three hits while getting only one out on the night.
White finished a triple short of the cycle, ending the night 3-for-5 with a double, home run, and two runs scored, while Luis Pimentel Guerrero reached base safely for the 19th consecutive contest with three hits.
Christiansen, Kligman, and Perazzo each accounted for a pair of hits, while
Cameron Sewell and Poturnak had one apiece.
Sacramento State returns to Western Athletic Conference play this week with a three-game home series against California Baptist at
John Smith Field. The series opens on Thursday (April 17) at 6 p.m., with Friday's (April 18) game two slated for a 4 p.m. first pitch. Saturday's (April 19) finale is scheduled for Noon.
