BASEBALL USES THE LONG BALL TO SWEEP DOUBLEHEADER AGAINST HAWAI’I
3/29/2008
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sophomore Tim Wheeler hit a grand slam in game one, and junior Gabe Jacobo hit a three-run homer in game two, lifting the Hornets to 6-4 and 5-2 victories over the Hawai’i Rainbows on Saturday, March 29 at Hornet Field.
With the wins, the Hornets improve to 9-14, 4-3 in Western Athletic Conference play, while the Rainbows fall to 9-18, 2-5 in the WAC.
Game one saw the Hornets strike quickly, as senior Taylor Watanabe led off the Hornet half of the first with a single to centerfield. Following him, senior Ryan Blair walked, with Watanabe advancing to third and Blair to second following a ground out by senior David Flores. Jacobo was then intentionally walked, loading the bases. Following a fielders choice, Wheeler stepped to the plate with two out and worked the count full to 3-2 before blasting the payoff pitch high over the right field wall for his first home run of the season, a grand slam, giving the Hornets a 4-0 lead.
Hawai’i crept the game back to 4-2 in the middle of the sixth, following a RBI single by Kevin Macdonald in the fourth and a RBI single by Jeffrey Van Doornum in the sixth, before the Hornets added more insurance. Watanabe pushed the Hornet advantage to 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth with a bases loaded RBI single that scored senior Wes Oberlin, although junior Blake Crosby was thrown out at the plate, ending the threat.
After the Rainbows scored a run in the top of the eighth to make the score 5-3, the Hornets pushed another run across the board in the bottom of the eighth. Wheeler led off the inning with a single, and then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Derrick Chung. This set the stage for senior Jeff Hannah, who singled to center field, scoring Wheeler, and extending the Hornet lead to 6-3.
Hawai’i scored one more run in the top of the ninth, but could not produce any more runs, and game one ended 6-4 in the Hornets favor. Sophomore Trevor York (1-4) picked up his first win of the season, allowing three runs on 10 hits in seven innings, striking out three and walking no batters. Fellow sophomore Tommy Elrod threw a hitless eighth inning, and freshman Brandon Sandoval came out of the ‘pen for the ninth, and picked up his first career save. Rainbows started Nicholas Rhodes (1-3) lasted just 2.1 innings, allowing four runs on four hits, while walking two batters, picking up the loss.
The Rainbows struck first in game two, as Jonathan Hee led off the game with a triple, and scored on a RBI single by Ryan Morford to make the score 1-0. The Hornets would then tie the game at 1-1 in the second, as with one out, Wheeler hit a double down the right field line, and then scored on a RBI double by Hannah to left center. The Hornets would eventually load the bases with one out in the inning, but were unable to push any more runs across.
Sacramento State took possession of the lead in the bottom of the fourth, as Wheeler connected on a one-out triple, and for the second straight at bat Hannah drove him home, this time with a single, to give the Hornets the 2-1 lead. The Hornets then padded their lead in the bottom of the fifth, as with runners on second and third and one out, the Rainbows decided against intentionally walking Jacobo, which they had already done twice in the series in similar situations. This came back to haunt Hawai’i as the native of Tulare, Calif. took a 1-0 pitch deep over the left center field wall for his fifth home run of the season, giving the Hornets a 5-1 advantage. Hawai’i closed the deficit to 5-2 in the top of the sixth on a RBI single by Shane Hoey, but could not score another run, as the game ended at the same score, 5-2.
Junior Brian Smith (1-0), who was on a pitch count in his first career start, earned his first career win, allowing one run on six hits while striking out three. Following four innings of solid relief from senior Alvaro Orozco, junior Mike Weiss came in for the ninth inning, picking up his first career save and providing a highlight reel play with a behind the back stab of a hard hit comebacker off the bat of Derek DuPree. Josh Slatts (0-3) picked up the loss for the Rainbows, allowing two runs on six hits while walking two in 3.2 innings of work.
Wheeler finished the day 5-for-8 at the plate, hitting for the cycle on the day. He hit two singles and a home run in game one, and provided a double and a triple in game two, and has seen his batting average climb over .100 points in his last nine games (from .200 to .316). Hannah went 4-for-8 with three RBI on the day, while Watanabe was 4-for-9 with a RBI and a run scored.
The Hornets and Rainbows will wrap up the four game series with a single game on Sunday, March 30. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Hornet Field.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.
