CAREER DAY FOR JACOBO LEADS BASEBALL TO 13-11 WIN OVER PACIFIC

5/1/2007

STOCKTON, Calif. — Sophomore Gabe Jacobo collected a career high four hits, including a pair of home runs, to help lead the Sacramento State baseball team to a 13-11 win over Pacific, Tuesday afternoon at Klein Family Field. Jacobo also added a career best six RBI in the win.

With the win, Sacramento State (13-32) captured the three-game season series against the Tigers (10-35-1). Pacific claimed the first contest on Feb. 6 but the Hornets were able to win in Sacramento on March 13 before winning on Tuesday.

Sacramento State never trailed in the game as Jacobo gave the team a 2-0 lead with his first home run of the day. The Tulare, Calif., native took advantage of a stiff breeze to left field and belted the offering over the extended wall in left center.

The Hornets exploded for six runs on six hits in the second to take an 8-0 lead. Montana Dye opened with a double and Wes Oberlin and Gary Johnson were each hit by a pitch to load the bases. After a pitching change, Ryan Blair singled to right center to score two runs. Patrick Cummins added an RBI single and Jacobo later tacked on a two-run single. The final run of the inning came when Oberlin drew a bases loaded walk.

Sacramento State sent 12 batters to the plate in the second against three different Pacific pitchers. Dye had two hits during the frame and Oberlin reached base twice without an official at-bat (hit-by-pitch and walk).

The Hornets pushed their lead to 11-0 in the third inning. With one out, Ryan Blair picked up his team-leading fifth triple of the year with a drive to right center. Cummins quickly brought him home with a sacrifice fly to right field. A single by David Flores, which extended his hitting streak to seven games, set the table for Jacobo. After fouling off a handful of pitches, Jacobo blasted a ball over the left field fence for a two-run home run. The multi-homer effort was the first for the team in three years and was the first of his career.


Pacific scored its first runs in the bottom of the third with a two-run single Matt Fuson. However, Sacramento State answered back with two runs of its own in the top of the fourth. With two outs, Travis Kirkman reached on an error. That miscue allowed Gary Johnson to come to the plate and the senior hit his first home run of the season down the left field line.

Things began to unravel for the Hornets in the fourth inning. Pacific scored five runs on six hits to make the score, 13-7. The Tigers then turned things over to reliever David Hovey, who shut out Sacramento State over the last five innings.

Senior Chris Mols was nearly as effective for the Hornets. The left-hander came on with a runner on first in the fifth inning. He went on to retire the next three batters and nine of the 10 he faced during his time on the mound. His lone miscue came in the sixth when he surrendered a leadoff home run to Joe Oliveira.

Pacific made the score 13-11 with a three-run home run from Zach Chamerlin in the eighth inning but senior Mitch Lively picked up his sixth save of the season to seal the game for Sacramento State.

While Jacobo’s offensive performance stood out, he was not the only Hornet to have a big day. Blair was 3-for-6 and Dye was 2-for-5.

Senior Billy Sinacori, who pitched the first 3.1 innings in a controlled start, earned the victory to improve to 2-1 on the season. Freshman Paul Jinkens, Mols, senior Cyrus Sarraf and Lively also took the mound over the final five innings.

Sacramento State will next face New Mexico State in a pivotal three-game series. The Aggies currently hold a half-game lead of the Hornets for the sixth, and final, berth into the Western Athletic Conference tournament. The series begins on Thursday at 2 p.m.