ARLINGTON, Texas — Junior Jakob Poturnak slugged his fifth home run of the season and drove in four while four other Hornet hitters produced run-scoring plays on the day as the Sacramento State baseball team claimed its second-straight Western Athletic Conference series win thanks to an 11-1 victory over UT Arlington in seven innings on Saturday evening at Clay Gould Ballpark.
The Hornets won their season-high fourth straight game to improve to 18-22 overall and 5-3 in league play on the season, winning for the seventh time in their last nine games overall. The Mavericks, meanwhile, fell to 14-23 overall and 3-5 in the WAC with the loss.
Poturnak, who added a double to finish 2-for-3 on the day, was joined in the multi-hit club by three other teammates. Nikhil Beasley doubled and drove home a pair en route to a 2-for-4 day and Luis Pimentel-Guerrero (2-for-3) and Ryan Ellis (2-for-4) each added a pair of knocks.
Cameron Sewell added a two-run single, Erick Dessens doubled and drove home a run, while Jace Jeremiah singled and plated a run.
Right-hander Kurt Marton (3-3) got the win, allowing just one run on three hits over 4.2 innings of work while striking out four. Andrew Monson came on to pitch the final 2.1 innings, getting the final out of the fifth and scattering just two hits and striking out a pair over the next two shutout frames.
Starter Kyle Winkler (3-2) suffered the loss, allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits and walking one over the first 2.2 innings.
After a relatively quiet first inning for both teams, Sacramento State broke the seal with three runs in the second to take a lead they would not relinquish. With the bases loaded and one out, Beasley's ground ball to the left side was enough to get Poturnak home for the 1-0 lead then, two pitches later, Sewell found room through the left side for a single, plating Pimentel-Guerrero and Jeremiah to make it 3-0.
The Hornets tacked on two more in the third after Ellis singled to lead-off the inning and Poturnak just cleared the wall in left field for a two-run home run and a 5-0 advantage.
UT Arlington scratched a run back in the home half of the fourth on a solo home run, but that would be it for the Mavericks' offense.
Sacramento State scored four times in the fifth, getting a two-run double from Poturnak, an RBI single up the middle by Jeremiah, and a run-scoring single by Beasley to put the game well out of reach. Dessens' double in the sixth scored Ellis for a 10-1 lead and a sacrifice fly by Sewell in the seventh put the run-rule into effect.
The Hornets go for their first sweep of the year in the series finale on Sunday morning (April 19) at 10 a.m. PT.
