ABILENE, Texas — Just over 12 hours after it hit four home runs to win the opener against Abilene Christian on Friday afternoon, the Sacramento State bats stayed hot despite chilly and rainy conditions throughout the morning on Saturday, slugging six more home runs en route to a 13-4 victory over the Wildcats to clinch the series.
The Hornets improved to 17-13 overall and 5-3 in Western Athletic Conference play, outscoring their hosts by a 22-7 count through the first two games of the series. Abilene Christian fell to 17-13 overall and 2-6 in league games.
Sacramento State's six home runs — coming off the bats of six different players on Saturday — were a season high and the most by a Hornet lineup since 2009 when they accomplished the feat twice that year against Utah Valley on April 11 and, again, at Nevada on May 8. In all, seven different players have accounted for the team's 10 home runs this weekend.
Junior JP Smith finished with a career-high tying three hits, adding a pair of doubles to his fifth home run of the year and three runs scored on the day. Tyler White (his third), Jakob Poturnak (his team-high 10th), Jameson Mullin (his second in as many days), and Cameron Sewell (his sixth) also joined the party, as did freshman Nikhil Beasley, who slugged his first career home run in the ninth inning to cap the scoring.
All but three of the Sacramento State's 13 runs came off of home runs as Sewell added an RBI single in the third, White scored on a wild pitch in the sixth, and Smith plated another on a run-scoring ground ball in the eighth.
Sewell's two hits extended his hitting streak to 12 consecutive games, while Luis Pimentel-Guerrero drew a walk to reach base safely for the 13th consecutive contest. Sewell, Mullin, Michael Perazzo, and Poturnak all finished with two hits on the day, with the latter collecting his team-high 13th multi-hit game of the year.
Carson Latimer (1-1) earned the win in relief of starter Tyler Stewart, allowing two runs on two hits and striking out five over three innings of work. After Colin Hunter stranded a runner in the sixth, Noah Lucchesi picked up his first save of the year — and the second of his career — by pitching the final three innings and striking out a career-high seven batters while allowing a harmless run in the ninth.
Brett Lanman (4-1) suffered the loss, allowing nine runs on 10 hits, walking only one and striking out nine.
Game three of the series is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT on Sunday morning (April 6).
