BASEBALL KNOCKS OFF FRESNO STATE, 8-3; ADVANCES TO WAC TITLE GAME
5/25/2012
Head coach Reggie Christiansen and the Hornets will play for a WAC Tourney title on Saturday.
MESA, Ariz. – After claiming a share of its first Western Athletic Conference regular season title this year, the Sacramento State baseball team will play for its first WAC Tournament title as well at 7 p.m. tomorrow after defeating Fresno State, 8-3, on Friday night at Hohokam Park.
The No. 2 seed Hornets (31-26) scored eight runs on 15 hits while the No. 5 seed Bulldogs (27-28) tallied three runs on just five hits.
Sacramento State will meet either No. 6 seed Louisiana Tech or Fresno State once again for the WAC Tournament title at 7 p.m. tomorrow. The two teams will meet at 3 p.m. tomorrow in the consolation bracket for the right to play the Hornets later in the day for the championship.
Sacramento State will have two chances to win the WAC Tournament title. The WAC Tournament is double elimination and if the undefeated Hornets lose on Saturday, they will play the same opponent again at noon on Sunday.
On Friday against Fresno State, freshman starter RHP Brennan Leitao (7-5) allowed just one hit and retired 13 straight batters between the second and sixth innings before the Bulldogs struck for a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh. Leitao earned the win after allowing three runs on four hits in 6.1 innings with two walks and three strikeouts. Relievers Garrett Kraemer and Tyler Hoelzen kept Fresno State off the board in the final two innings.
The Hornets jumped out to an early lead on junior Clay Cederquist’s bases clearing double in the first inning. Cederquist, who played at Fresno State and Fresno City College before transferring to Sacramento State prior to this season, went 3-for-5 with one run and three RBIs.
Senior Derrick Chung and sophomore Will Soto also had three hits while sophomore David Del Grande had two. Del Grande had two RBIs, coming on a double in the Hornets’ four-run fifth inning. Senior Brent Hottman also had two RBIs on a single in the fifth.
The Hornets had eight of their nine hitters tally a hit and seven of their nine hitters score a run.
Sacramento State has scored 23 runs on 34 hits in two WAC Tournament games. Before defeating Fresno State, 8-3, on Friday, the Hornets run-ruled Nevada, 15-5, on Thursday night in eight innings.
Fresno State starter RHP Cody Kendall (4-3) took the loss after allowing eight runs on 14 hits in eight innings with one error and four strikeouts. The Bulldogs originally had LHP Tyler Linehan in the lineup but scratched him before the game.
Sacramento State 8, Fresno State 3 (May 25, 2012 at Mesa, Ariz.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sacramento State.... 310 040 000 - 8 15 0 (31-26)
Fresno State........ 000 001 200 - 3 5 1 (27-26)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Sacramento State - Leitao, Brennan; Kraemer, Garrett(7); Hoelzen, Tyler(9) and Hottman, Brent. Fresno State - Kendall,Cody; Stirewalt,Tyler(9) and Wynns,Austin.
Win-Leitao, Brennan(7-5) Loss-Kendall,Cody(4-3) T-2:27 A-856
Weather: 88F, wind out to CF 13-22 MPH
