Katz’s first win of the season helps Hornets improve to 4-6 in 2005, with a 2-0 series advantage over the Bison. Senior Marshall Plouffe pitched the final two innings of the game, holding North Dakota State scoreless.

Senior Pedro Santiago continued his success at the plate with two hits and two RBIs in four at-bats. The Fairfield, Calif., native also scored a run. Santiago, who started at third base for the first time this season, is second on the team with a batting average of .391, he also leads the team with four multiple-hit games.

North Dakota State fell to 0-6 on the year as Bison pitcher Terry Tchida took his second loss of the season.

Also producing hits at the plate was senior Brett Flowers. Flowers finished with two hits and two RBIs. Freshman David Flores started his second game of the season at shortstop and also produced two hits.

Sacramento State got on the scoreboard early with a four-run first inning. For the second consecutive game, the Bison walked the first batter of the game, junior Everet Rincon. Rincon then stole second before Tchida walked senior Travis Kassebaum.

Junior Brian Conradi continued the inning with a single, before Santiago singled up the middle for his fourth RBI of the season, scoring Rincon and Kassebaum. Conradi, a Bakersfield, Calif., native has the longest hitting streak of any Hornet, going on five games. Junior Brian Blauser then secured an RBI to score Conradi and a sacrifice fly from Flowers scored Santiago to give the Hornets a 4-0 lead after one.

Sacramento State added runs in the fifth and sixth innings as well. Conradi scored in the firth inning off a single from Flowers and Strombach scored in the sixth inning off a single from Kassebaum.

The Hornets close the series with North Dakota State on Saturday, with a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Hornet Field. The game can be heard on www.hornetsports.com by clicking the Live Audio link at the top of the page and scrolling down to baseball.