SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State junior JP Smith finished with three hits and tied a career high with five RBI on the night as the Hornets opened their three-game non-conference series against UC Riverside with an 8-4 victory on Friday evening at John Smith Field.
The victory improved Sacramento State to 24-17 overall, posting its ninth consecutive series-opening win. The Highlanders fell to 13-26 overall with the loss.
Smith was responsible for driving in each of the Hornets' first five runs of the game, opening the day 3-for-3 at the plate en route to his 17th career three-hit performance. His first inning two-run single staked Sacramento State to an early lead before he added a run-scoring single in the second and keyed a three-run fifth inning with a two-run home run — his eighth round-tripper of the year — over the batter's eye in centerfield.
The five RBI gave Smith 130 for his career, moving him into sole possession of eighth on the school's all-time list while passing a trio of Hornet greats in Terry Mayer (1970-73), Chris Kinsey (2001-03), and Rhys Hoskins (2012-14).
Freshman Michael Perazzo added an RBI single as part of that fifth inning, finishing with a career-high tying three hits on the night, and sophomore Cameron Sewell came through with a run-scoring single off the pitcher in the eighth. A balk with runners at the corners in the sixth accounted for Sacramento State's only other run.
Senior right-hander Evan Gibbons (7-1) battled through six innings to claim his fifth win in his last six starts, allowing four runs on eight hits and striking out four. The Hornet bullpen then took over as the trio of Andrew Monson, Noah Lucchesi, and Colin Hunter pitched an inning each, combining to allow just one hit over the three scoreless frames and striking out four.
Gibbons set a new career high for wins and he becomes the first Hornet pitcher to win at least seven games since Brady Rodriguez finished 8-2 and Scott Randall (7-2) and Jack Zalasky (7-2) each won seven in 2021.
Charlie Dohemann (1-3) suffered the loss, allowing the first two runs of the game on a pair of hits and two walks while facing only four batters without recording an out. Manoah Chapman led the Highlanders with a 3-for-4 night while Andrew Rivas had a pair of hits and drove in three.
With his two hits on the night, senior Tyler White reached base safely for the 18th straight contest, tying him with Jakob Poturnak for the third-longest such streak by a Hornet this year. Perazzo's three-hit night marked his 10th multi-hit game in his last 17 outings.
The two teams are scheduled to meet in game two of the series on Saturday night (April 26) at 6 p.m. at John Smith Field.
