BASEBALL DROPS RIVER CITY CLASSIC FINALE TO UC DAVIS
3/9/2008
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento State baseball team dropped a 12-3 decision to the UC Davis Aggies on Sunday, March 9, at Hornet Field in the finale of the 2008 River City Classic, which pitted the two host schools against one another.
With the loss, the Hornets fall to 2-8 on the season, while the Aggies improve to 7-7 on the season.
The Hornets drew first blood against their rival, as in the bottom of the first, junior Hunter Martinez led off the inning with a single, and was then brought home on a RBI double by senior Ryan Blair, giving the Hornets a 1-0 advantage. Sacramento State turned aggressive on the base paths, however, and Blair was caught stealing third, and the Hornets were unable to continue the rally.
UC Davis took the lead in the top of the second, following a RBI double by Kevin James, and a RBI single by Matt Dempsey, making the score 2-1. The Aggies then struck again for four runs in the top of the third, as UC Davis put together four hits, including three doubles, to take a 6-1 lead.
With the score 7-1 in the bottom of the fifth, the Hornets pushed another run across the board, as senior David Flores connected on a RBI single, bringing home Martinez, to pull closer at 7-2. Davis then cushioned their lead with four runs in the top of the seventh before the Hornets were able to produce another run in the bottom of the eighth. Senior Wes Oberlin connected on a RBI single that scored junior Gabe Jacobo, making the score 11-3. The Aggies tacked on an additional run on a solo home run by Ryan Royster in the top of the ninth to account for the final margin of 12-3.
Hornet senior Corey Weglin (0-1) allowed six runs on seven hits in 2.2 innings pitched, and was dealt his first loss of the season. UC Davis right-hander Jeff Reekers (1-1) pitched a complete game, scattering 3 runs on nine hits over nine innings of work, walking just one batter while striking out four.
Blair led the Hornet charge at the plate with a 3-for-4 day, while Martinez finished 1-for-4 with two runs scored. UC Davis was led by Jake Jefferies, who went 3-for-6 at the plate with two doubles and a RBI, while James finished 2-for-2 with two doubles, three RBI and three runs scored.
The River City Classic was won by Portland, who posted a 4-0 record in the Tournament. BYU, San Jose State and Utah Valley all finished with 2-2 marks, while UC Davis and the Hornets finished the tournament at 1-3. The River City Classic all-Tournament team will be released tomorrow afternoon.
Sacramento State returns to action with five games scheduled for next week, as the Hornets host Pacific at 2 p.m. on Tuesday in a non-conference match-up, before opening up Western Athletic Conference play with a four-game series at San Jose State on Fri.-Sun.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. 
