STOCKTON, Calif. — Junior Erick Dessens fell a triple short the cycle, finishing 4-for-5 at the plate with a double, home run, and five RBI and visiting Sacramento State scored five times in the final four innings to nearly complete the comeback from down five in the seventh before falling one run short in a 7-6 loss at Pacific on Saturday afternoon at Klein Family Field in Stockton, Calif.
Saturday marked the Hornets' seventh defeat decided by two runs or fewer and their fifth coming by a single run.
Dessens extended his hitting streak to seven straight games thanks to his Sacramento State career-high effort at the plate, logging his sixth multi-hit game and finishing with multiple RBI in a game for the sixth time this season.
He became the fourth Hornet hitter to log a four-hit game this season and the third to miss hitting for the cycle by a triple along with teammates Luis Pimentel-Guerrero (Feb. 22 vs. Saint Joseph's) and Jakob Poturnak (March 11 vs. Pacific).
Both Sam Harry and Jace Jeremiah extended their respective hitting streaks to five games with singles, while Jeremiah reached base safely for the 12th consecutive contest — tying Pimentel-Guerrero for the longest by a Sacramento State player this year. Harry, meanwhile, reached base safely for the 10th consecutive game to set a new season-long run for him
Pimentel-Guerrero and Brett Ott each finished with two hits apiece and scored a pair of runs, with the former reaching base four times along with Harry and Dessens.
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The Hornets answered a Pacific run in the third with a run of their own in the fourth as Harry bounced a single through the left side to score Pimentel-Guerrero to tie the game. The Tigers added a pair of runs in their half of the inning before Sacramento State made it a one-run game on a Jeremiah RBI single that made it 3-2 in the sixth.
Pacific then threatened to run away and hide, putting up a three-spot in the seventh, but the Hornets weren't done with their comeback attempt.
Cameron Sewell roped a two-out single to center before a walk to Pimentel-Guerrero that put two on for Dessens, who launched a 3-1 pitch over the wall in left center for his third of the year to make it 7-5.
A single by Ott and a pinch-hit single by
Ryan Ellis around a line out put runners on the corners for Jeremiah, who skied a ball deep to centerfield to score the former and keep the tying run on base. The Tigers put an end to the rally, however, striking out the last batter of the day to end the game and hang on for the one-run win.
Sophomore
Chase Sorlie started and pitched well in the no-decision, allowing a run on two hits and striking out a pair over the first three innings.
Baylor Sandberg (0-1) got only one out and gave up two runs on two hits to suffer the loss for the Hornets.Â
Tigers' starter Garret Plata (1-0) earned the win, allowing a run on six hits over five innings, working through five walks and striking out three on the day. Ethan Shaver picked up his first save, getting the final four outs while allowing a run on two hits.
The weekend series finale begins on Sunday (March 15) at 1 p.m. in Stockton.
