SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - The Sacramento State baseball team fell to the Cal Poly Mustangs in the final game of their three-game series, 6-2, on Sunday, March 1 at Baggett Stadium.
With the loss, the Hornets fall to 1-5 on the season, while the Mustangs improve to 6-1, having won six straight ballgames.
The contest started as a pitchers duel between Hornet sophomore righthander Brandon Sandoval and Mustang lefthander Matt Leonard, as the score was just 1-1 threw five innings.
Cal Poly opened the scoring in the bottom of the third on a two out RBI single by D.J. Gentile. The Hornets responded in the top of the fifth to tie the score, as sophomore Brent Hottman connected on his second career home run, a towering shot down the left field line.
The Mustangs finally got to Sandoval in the bottom of the sixth, as Wes Dorrell doubled down the line to open in the inning, and Gentile was issued a four pitch walk. This brought senior Nick Buchta out of the Hornet bullpen, who was unable to record an out, giving up a RBI single Luke Yoder, a RBI double to Matt Jensen and a two-run double to J.J. Thompson before leaving the contest. Senior Eric Fregosi came out of the pen to get the Hornets out of the inning, allowing a lone run on a safety squeeze by Bobby Crocker, which made the score 6-1 in favor of Cal Poly.
Sacramento State finally chased Leonard in the top of the seventh after he issued a leadoff walk to freshman Justin Lamb. Mark DeVincenzi came out of the bullpen in relief, and gave up back-to-back singles to junior Dan McCarthy and junior Josh Powers, loading the bases with no one out. Sophomore Derrick Chung then hit into a 6-4-3 double play, however Lamb was able to score from third to make the score 6-2.
Sandoval (0-1) picked up the loss for the Hornets, allowing three earned runs on five hits in five innings of work. Leonard (1-0) earned his first win of the season for Cal Poly, allowing two runs on two hits in six innings, striking out six Hornet batters.
Offensively, four Hornets recorded one hit apiece, including senior Blake Crosby, Hottman, McCarthy and Powers. Cal Poly was led by Yoder and and Kyle Smith, who recorded two hits apiece, while Thompson added two RBI.
The Hornets will return to action on Tuesday, March 3 as they host Santa Clara in their home opener. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. Rain is in the forecast, however, so be sure to check hornetsports.com for a postponement or rain delay announcement before making your way to Hornet Field.
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - The Sacramento State baseball team fell to the Cal Poly Mustangs in the final game of their three-game series, 6-2, on Sunday, March 1 at Baggett Stadium.
