ABILENE, Texas — Junior JP Smith finished with a career-high four hits while driving in a pair while Sacramento State scored eight times in the ninth to break open a close game, completing the sweep of host Abilene Christian thanks to a 14-4 victory on Sunday.
The Hornets improved to 18-13 overall and 6-3 in the Western Athletic Conference, sweeping a league rival for the first time since taking all three on the road at Seattle U on April 12-14 of last season. With the loss, the Wildcats fell to 17-14 overall and 2-7 in conference play.
Sacramento State's 36 runs for the weekend were the most in a three-game series this season and the most since the Hornets outscored Utah Tech, 36-11, in the final regular season series of 2023. The eight-run ninth inning marked the most runs in a single frame this year and the most since scoring eight in the first against Stephen F. Austin on May 12 of last season.
Unlike the previous two games, Sacramento State scored only once thanks to a home run after freshman Michael Perazzo, who finished 3-for-5 with a team-high four RBI, slugged the second of his career in the sixth. He was one of eight Hornet hitters who drove in runs on the day, joined by Smith in the multiple RBI club after the junior — who had accumulated 16 career three-hit games — ended the day 4-for-6 with a pair of runs driven in.
Senior Tyler White set the table with a three-hit day atop the lineup, scoring twice, while six other Sacramento State players finished with hits.
The Hornets trailed for the first time all weekend after Abilene Christian plated a run in the bottom of the first, but the deficit was quickly erased. Smith's RBI single in the third tied the game and Jakob Poturnak followed with an RBI single of his own two batters later for a 2-1 advantage.
ACU added a run in the home half of the third to make it 2-2, but freshman Orlando Cobarrubias gave his team the lead for good in the fourth, roping an RBI single to left center and scoring Ryan Christiansen for the 3-2 advantage.
Luis Pimentel-Guerrero and Cameron Sewell added an RBI double and a run-scoring single, respectively, in the fifth before Perazzo left the yard to give the Hornets a 6-2 lead. The Wildcats clawed their way back into it with single-runs in the sixth and seventh to make it a two-run game, but Sacramento State put the game well out of reach with its huge ninth inning.
The Hornets sent 13 batters to the plate in the final inning as Smith (RBI double), Perazzo (3-run double), and Nikhil Beasley (RBI single) each had run-scoring hits while a wild pitch, passed ball, and bases-loaded walk to Myles Walton added three more to the tally.
Junior right-hander Ethan Lay (2-1) earned the win, allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out four over 5.2 innings of work. Sophomore closer Kade Brown picked up his eighth save of the season, entering in the seventh and getting the final nine outs, allowing one hit and striking out a pair while working around three walks.
Cade McGarrh (1-4) suffered the loss, allowing five runs on 10 hits over 4.1 innings.
With his fifth-inning single, Sewell extended his team-best hitting streak to 13 consecutive games to stand just one shy of Poturnak's season-best 14-game run earlier this year. Pimentel-Guerrero drew a walk in the first to reach safely for the 14th consecutive contest — tied with White for the second longest such streak this season — while White and Smith extended their own reached base streaks to eight and nine, respectively.
Sacramento State meets Causeway rival UC Davis on the road on Tuesday (April 6) at 6 p.m. in a midweek contest before coming home to host the first of three straight weekend series. The Hornets welcome Seattle U to John Smith Field on April 11-13, with first-pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday, 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
