BASEBALL RALLIES FROM FIVE-RUN DEFICIT TO DEFEAT NO. 25 RANKED NEW MEXICO STATE
Trevor Paine went 4-for-5 to lead the Hornets to a come-from-behind win on Sunday.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento State baseball team scored four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to rally from an early five-run deficit and defeated No. 25 ranked New Mexico State in a Western Athletic Conference game on Sunday afternoon at John Smith Field.
After being shutout with just two hits through the first four innings, the Hornets (18-18, 3-3 WAC) scored 10 runs on 13 hits with no errors in the win. The Aggies (28-9, 4-2 WAC) tallied seven runs on 12 hits with one error.
Sacramento State was stymied in the early innings but broke through in the fifth inning with
Andrew Ayers’ monster two-run home run over the left field fence. Down 5-2 heading into the sixth, the Hornets hung a four spot on the scoreboard to take the lead for the first time in the series.
After senior
Derrick Chung and freshman
Rhys Hoskins started the inning with singles, junior
Clay Cederquist laid down a sacrifice bunt but NMSU reliever Trey Ross threw the ball over his third baseman’s head and Chung scored from second on the error. Senior
Trevor Paine, who finished with a game-high four hits and three runs, singled in the next at-bat to bring home Hoskins and after an out, Ayers drove in another run, this time with a single up the middle to bring home Cederquist. Freshman
Scotty Burcham then singled to load the bases and
Will Soto drove in the last run of the inning with a ground out to second.
The four-run sixth gave the Hornets a one-run lead but they were not satisfied.
In the seventh inning, Sacramento State loaded the bases with no outs and senior
Hunter Adrian lined a pinch hit, two-run double past the first baseman to score both Hoskins and Cederquist. Burcham hit a sacrifice fly to center for the third run of the inning before Soto singled to bring home another run.
The Hornets took a 10-5 lead into the eight, where New Mexico State scored twice to make it a three-run game. Junior reliever
Tyler Hoelzen entered with two men on and one out following a two-RBI single and retired the next two batters.
Senior closer
R.J. Davis notched his fifth save of the game after an overpowering ninth inning. Sophomore
Tanner Mendonca (5-4) pitched 3.2 strong innings of relief to earn the win after the Aggies chased Sacramento State starter
Zach Morgan in the fourth.
Only Paine (4-for-5) and Ayers (2-for-4) had multiple hits but seven other Hornets tallied one. Ayers had a team-high three RBIs.
Catcher Zac Fisher, second baseman Parker Hipp and designated hitter Cody Edwards each had two RBIs while Fisher had a team-high three hits. Edwards hit a towering two-run home run in the fourth inning that landed on the fourth floor of the parking garage beyond the left field fence.
New Mexico State, which entered the weekend as winners in 18 of its last 19 games, took the three-game WAC series, 2-1. However, the Aggies and Hornets meet again at 2 p.m. tomorrow in a non-league game. Sophomore RHP
Hunter Greenwood is scheduled to pitch for Sacramento State against New Mexico State RHP Casey Collins.
Sacramento State 10, New Mexico State 7 (Apr 15, 2012 at Sacramento, Calif.)
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New Mexico State.... 200 300 020 - 7 12 1 (28-9, 4-2 WAC)
Sacramento State.... 000 024 40X - 10 13 0 (18-18, 3-3 WAC)
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Win-Mendonca, Tanner(5-4) Save-Davis, R.J.(5) Loss-Randy Montoya(1-1) T-3:10 A-289
HR NMSU - Cody Edwards (5).
Weather: 70 degrees, sunny, WSW 7 MPH
Torsney, T. faced 2 batters in the 6th.
Ross, T. faced 1 batter in the 6th.
Game: 36NMSU12
