SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Freshman Sam Harry and senior Ryan Ellis slugged back-to-back home runs in the third and senior Jace Jeremiah extended his team-best hitting streak to 11 games, but two big swings by visiting Abilene Christian were enough to lift the Wildcats to a 7-2 win over Sacramento State in the series opener on Friday night at John Smith Field.
The Hornets fell to 21-26 overall on the year and had their Western Athletic Conference record evened at 5-5 with the loss. Abilene Christian, which collected 11 hits on the night, improved to 22-23 overall and 5-5 in league play with the victory.
Jeremiah accounted for two of Sacramento State's five hits on the night, lacing a single up the middle for the team's first hit in the second then added another in the ninth for his 10th multi-hit game of the season. His 11-game hitting streak is the fourth-longest by a Hornet this season, trailing only the 13-game streak by Harry — who reached base for the 12th consecutive game on Friday — and a pair of 12-game streaks by Erick Dessens and Jakob Poturnak.
The Wildcats struck for three runs in the top of the first as the first three hitters were able to come through off Sacramento State starter Ethan Lay (4-2). A single and a walk put two on for Nick Arias, who slugged his seventh home run of the year to left for the 3-0 lead.
That advantage lasted until the third when two big swings by the Hornets made it a game. With one out, Harry crushed his fourth home run of the season off the batter's eye in right centerfield to break up the shutout and Ellis followed two pitches later with his second of the year, clearing the wall in center to make it 3-2.
It marked the first time that Sacramento State had gone back-to-back since Poturnak and JP Smith did so in the top of the first inning at Abilene Christian last season on April 5.
After a rough first inning, Lay settled in, striking out seven over the next four innings, before another big swing in the sixth extending the Wildcats' advantage. Back-to-back singles and another infield hit with one out loaded the bases for Grant Watkins, who slugged his 19th home run of the year over the wall in center with two outs for a 7-2 lead.
Meanwhile, the tandem of starter Aidan Coleman (5-2) and Baron Mannis combined to stymie the Hornet bats, allowing just one base runner on an error from the fourth through the eighth innings and stranded a runner in the ninth.
Coleman allowed the two runs on four hits and struck out four over six innings en route to the win, while Mannis pitched the final three innings and struck out three to pick up his second save of the year.
Lay finished with eight strikeouts against only one walk, but was touched for seven runs on eight hits in his six innings. The bullpen quartet of Sean Carey, Bryce Stockton, Knooer Entz, and Devin James then combined for three shutout innings, scattering three hits and striking out seven while stranding the bases loaded in both the seventh and eighth innings and leaving another in scoring position in the ninth.
Game two of the series is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday (May 2).
