The Hornets improve to 19-30-1 on the year while the Cougars fall to 20-28.

Trailing Washington State 4-3 in the top of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and two outs, Strombach singled to left field scoring freshman third baseman David Flores and senior Matt Wilson. Senior second baseman Cliff Hinkle then singled to center field, scoring junior shortstop Everet Rincon and giving the Hornets a 6-4 advantage.

Strombach finished his day 2-for-5 with two RBIs. The Aiea, Hawaii, native now leads the team with 61 hits and 18 multiple-hit games this season. Hinkle, in his second year out of Palomar JC, also tallied two hits while stealing his first base of the season.

Junior right-hander Travis Kane (3-4) earned the win on the mound after pitching seven innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits while recording four strikeouts. Senior left-hander Marshall Hendon recorded his first save of the season after replacing senior Marshall Plouffe on the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning. With runners on second and first, Washington State’s Kaeo Rubin hit into a double play to end the game.

In the second inning Sacramento State got on the scoreboard first when junior Josh Levin singled up the middle to score Wilson from second base. The Hornets then scored again to take a 2-1 lead in the third inning when junior left fielder Brian Conradi singled to right field scoring Hinkle.

Conradi led the team with three hits, one RBI and one stolen base, while Flores went 2-for-5. Levin finished his day 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run.

Washington State quickly responded in the bottom of the third inning with three runs to take a tentative 4-2 lead. The Cougars were led by Rubin who wen 3-for-5 on the afternoon. Jay Miller finished his day 2-for-4 with two RBIs as did Jeff Miller.

In the fourth inning, Sacramento State added its third run, making the score 4-3 in favor of th Cougars, when junior Brian Blauser''s sacrifice fly to center field allowed Levin to score.

Nick Cebula (2-3) took the loss for Washington State after pitching 1.1 innings and allowing three runs on five hits.

The Hornets and Cougars split the season series 3-3 and the victory ends a nine-game losing streak for Sacramento State. The Hornets are also 6-8 against the Pac-10 this year.

Sacramento State will now return to Hornet Field for its final eight games of the season. The Hornets will host Saint Mary’s at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. San Jose State will then visit for a four-game series beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.