SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State's Sam Harry extended his team-best hitting streak to 13 games while Erick Dessens drove in his team's lone run on the night as the Hornets and Fresno State were locked in an old-fashioned pitcher's duel eventually won by the Bulldogs, 2-1, on Tuesday at John Smith Field.
Harry, with a single to center in the eighth, kept his career-best hitting streak alive, surpassing the 12-game streaks by Dessens and Jakob Poturnak earlier this year. It is the longest streak by a Hornet hitter since Poturnak hit in 14 consecutive games and Cameron Sewell did so in 13 straight last season.
Matching zeroes through the first three innings, Sacramento State was the first to get on the board in the fourth as Ryan Ellis — who reached base four times thanks to a double and three walks — led-off with an extra-base hit and scored four pitches later when Dessens found room on the right side for a single to make it 1-0.
It stayed that way until the seventh as the Bulldogs managed just five base runners through the first six innings, only to leave them stranded. A one-out walk led to a double by Marcus Nolen to tie the game then, with two outs, an error on a ground ball allowed Nolen to come around and score from second to give Fresno State the lead.
The Hornets had their chances to draw even as Harry's single and a walk to Ellis put two on with one out in the eighth and a two-out walk to Luis Pimentel-Guerrero loaded the bases. That brought Poturnak to the plate and he gave an 0-1 pitch a ride to the fence down the right field line only to have the outfielder haul it in on the run to end the inning.
Sacramento State then had the tying run on base in the ninth after a lead-off double by Brett Ott, but Fresno State reliever Will Page-Allen struck out two and got a ground ball to end the game and pick up his first save of the year.
Both teams finished with four hits and each stranded seven runners on base on the night as six pitchers from both sides did their best to stymie opposing hitters.
Right-hander Konner Entz started for the Hornets and went the first three innings, allowing two hits and striking out three without allowing a run. Kurt Marton (2-3) suffered the loss, charged with one earned on one hit and striking out two over his two innings of work.
Ellis' three walks marked the third time a Hornet has drawn three bases on balls in a game this year after Pimentel-Guerrero did so twice against Saint Joseph's on Feb. 20 and Winthrop on March 19.
BJ Rodriguez (1-1) picked up the win in relief for the Bulldogs, striking out three and walking one in two innings of work.
Sacramento State returns to Western Athletic Conference play with a scheduled three-game series this weekend against Utah Valley at John Smith Field. The two rivals are slated for a 6 p.m. start on Friday (April 10), a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday (April 11), and a Noon start time for Sunday's (April 12) finale.
