RIVERSIDE, Calif. — There was little that could stop the Sacramento State bats on Sunday afternoon in Riverside as the Hornets' offense posted its second-highest run total of the season en route to a 19-2 eight-inning victory and a series win over second-place California Baptist in the team's final road trip of the year.
Winning its third Western Athletic Conference series of the season, Sacramento State improved to 24-29 overall on the year and 8-7 in league play, setting up a huge final weekend of the regular season against league-leading Tarleton State in which the Hornets could challenge for a share of their second consecutive conference regular season title.
With the loss, the Lancers fell to 39-13 overall and 11-7 in conference play. California Baptist completed its league schedule with Sunday's loss, traveling for a three-game non-conference series at UC Davis next week.
The 19 runs on Sunday trail only the 21 runs scored in a 21-2 victory over Saint Joseph's back on Feb. 22, while the 18 hits against CBU are tied for the second-most in a single game this year and are the most since Sacramento State finished with the same number at Utah Tech on April 4.
Of those 19 runs, 10 came across in the eighth inning alone — the Hornets' first inning with double digit runs since pushing across 10 in the second against Nevada back on March 19, 2024.
Six different Sacramento State batters finished with multiple hits on the day led by Luis Pimentel-Guerrero and Brett Ott, who collected four hits apiece. Pimentel-Guerrero finished a home run short of the cycle, going 4-for-5 with a run scored, a double, a triple, and driving in six, while Ott was 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and two RBI.
Pimentel-Guerrero's six RBI are tied for the most by a Hornet hitter this year, matching Sam Harry's six RBI game against Nevada on April 6.
Jace Jeremiah added a three-hit day to go with a home run and four runs scored, while the top three in the Hornets' lineup — Harry, Erick Dessens, and Ryan Ellis — each finished with two hits for the third consecutive game, combining to drive in four and score seven times.
Cameron Sewell reached base three times on a walk and a pair of hit by pitchers, driving home two runs and scoring three times, while Nikhil Beasley plated three runs.
Starter Carson Timothy (4-2) stymied the Lancer bats all afternoon in picking up the win, allowing just one first-inning run on five hits and striking out four. He retired 10 consecutive CBU hitters at one point and stranded four on base. Right-hander Colin Hunter finished out the day, charged with a run on two hits and striking out one over the final two frames.
After jumping out to a lead in each of the first two games of the series, it was California Baptist's turn to take an early advantage with an RBI double in the bottom of the first for a 1-0 lead.
Jeremiah answered with a solo home run to lead off the second (his third of the year) to tie the game and open the floodgates as Sacramento State went on to score 19 unanswered. Ellis' two-run single broke the deadlock and Pimentel-Guerrero added an RBI single for a three-run inning and the Hornets were off to the races.
It remained a three-run game until the seventh when Sacramento State plated five runs to go with 9-1. Sewell drew a bases-loaded walk, Pimentel-Guerrero drove home two more with a single, and Beasley added a two-run single of his own.
The very next inning, the Hornets sent 14 batters to plate en route to the 10-run frame with the big blow coming off the bat of Pimentel-Guerrero, whose bases-loaded triple made it 18-1. Beasley (RBI hit by pitch), Ott (two-run single), Harry (RBI double), Dessens (RBI single), and Sewell (RBI hit by pitch) all drove home runs in the frame, while an error led to another score early in the inning.
The Lancers added a run in the ninth on an RBI single with the game well out of reach.
Next week's series with Tarleton State begins with a pair of night games as Thursday's opener (May 14) and Friday's game two (May 15) are scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch. Saturday's "Senior Day" series finale on May 16 is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
