SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State baseball team rallied back from a pair of deficits to take narrow leads on the afternoon, but a pair of Winthrop runs in the seventh and an insurance score in the eighth were enough to lift the visiting Eagles to a 7-5 win and a series victory over the Hornets on Sunday afternoon at John Smith Field.
Much like Friday night's back-and-forth affair that saw the two teams combine for 26 runs, Saturday's run total was lower, but the lead changed hands five times on the day as each team was able to come through in the clutch to put their side ahead.
A one-out home run by the Eagles (17-7) in the first staked them to the early lead, but Sacramento State (9-15) was able to put together a rally in the second to move ahead for the first time. A one-out walk to Jace Jeremiah and a single by Sam Harry put runners at the corners. Harry promptly swiped second to put a pair in scoring position for Jacob Cortez two batters later, who laced a single to left to plate both and make it 2-1.
Jakob Poturnak made it a two-run lead in the third with an RBI single to score Erick Dessens, who singled with one out, and the score stayed that way until the fifth went Winthrop strung together a comeback to regain the lead. Two hit batters and a single plated one run and the Eagles were able to tie the score with another RBI single two batters later after a pitching change.
Winthrop took the lead on an RBI double to make it 4-3, but the Hornets weren't done either.
A one-out single by Jeremiah set the table for Harry, who doubled into the left field corner to tie the game. Cameron Sewell then lined a single through the right side to score Harry and grab a 5-4 lead, but the Eagles had the last laugh.
Another one-out home run in the seventh by Winthrop tied things back up and an RBI on a ground ball put the Eagles in front for good after Sacramento State was unable to complete the double play that would have ended the inning. Another RBI double in the eighth gave Winthrop a two-run advantage.
The Hornets had one more attempt at a comeback in the eighth, putting a pair in scoring position with one out, but a strikeout and a fly ball to the warning track ended the threat.
Dessens' hit in the third extended his team-best hitting streak to 12 consecutive games, while Poturnak stretched his own streak to 10 consecutive games while reaching base safely for the 11th consecutive game.
Jeremiah's walk in the second allowed him to reach base safely for the 17th consecutive game, while Luis Pimentel-Guerrero made it 11 straight games reaching base.
Trevor Wilson (0-3) was charged with the loss, allowing two runs on three hits in 1.1 innings, while Walker Brodt (2-0) picked up the win with 1.1 scoreless innings of relief, striking out two. Harrison Wilson earned his third save of the year, getting the final five outs.
Sacramento State returns to the field with a busy Spring Break week, traveling to the Midwest for five games in six days. The Hornets open with a two-game midweek series at Kansas on March 24-25 in Lawrence, Kan., before heading to Omaha, Neb., for a three-game weekend set at Creighton on March 27-29.
