BASEBALL SPLITS DOUBLEHEADER WITH NO. 23 NEW MEXICO STATE
4/4/2009
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The Sacramento State baseball team split a conference doubleheader with the No. 23 New Mexico State Aggies, winning game one 18-13, before losing game two 10-7.
With the split, the Hornets move their record to 17-11 overall, 1-2 in Western Athletic Conference play, while the Aggies move to 27-4, 2-1 in the WAC.
In game one of the doubleheader, the Hornets struck first in the high scoring affair, plating two runs in the bottom of the second. Senior Blake Crosby led off the inning with a single, and with one out advanced to second on a single by senior Jeff Roth. The Hornets then loaded the bases after freshman Justin Lamb singled, and scored Crosby on a RBI fielders choice groundout by Aaron Crouch. Sophomore Brent Hottman then connected on a two-out single to right, scoring Roth to give the Hornets a 2-0 lead.
New Mexico State tied the game up at 2-2 with a run apiece in the bottom of the second and bottom of the third, before the Hornets retook the lead at 3-2 folllowing a fielding error in the top of the fourth that allowed junior Josh Powers to score from first on a single by Lamb. The Hornets then struck for four runs in the top of the fifth, which included a three-run homer by Crosby, his third of the season, and a RBI single by Lamb, taking a 7-2 lead.
After the Aggies cut the lead to 7-3 with a run in the bottom of the fifth, the Hornets again plated four runs in the top of the sixth to take an 11-3 advantage. After senior Hunter Martinez and sophomore Derrick Chung walked to start the inning, junior Tim Wheeler produced a RBI double to left field, scoring Martinez. Chung came around to score on a RBI groundout by Crosby, and Wheeler came home on a RBI groundout by Roth. Later in the inning, Lamb continued his hot hitting with a RBI double, stretching the Hornet lead to eight runs.
For the third straight inning, the Hornets plated four more runs in the top of the seventh, which made the score 15-3 in favor of Sacramento State. Wheeler started the scoring in the inning with a RBI single, which was followed by a RBI single by Powers and a two-run double by Roth, increasing the lead to 12 runs.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Aggies needed to score at least three runs to allow the game to continue due to the 10-run mercy rule, and answered with a six run inning that included a pair of home runs, cutting the Hornet advantage to 15-9. Sacramento State, however, was able to add three more runs back in the top of the eighth, as Hottman collected a RBI double and Crosby followed later in the inning with a RBI single, stretching the lead back to 18-9.
New Mexico State would make things interesting in the ninth, scoring four runs, including a three-run home run, but could not complete the comeback, falling to Sacramento State 18-13.
Freshman Jesse Darrah (5-2) picked up the win for the Hornets, allowing six runs on 10 hits in six innings of work, striking out six Aggie batters. Corey Vendette (4-1) took the loss, allowing seven runs, six earned, on nine hits in five innings.
Game two, a scheduled seven inning affair, saw New Mexico State score in each of the first three frames to take a 6-0 lead, before the Hornets fought back with a lone run of their own in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to pull to within three runs at 6-3. With two down in the fourth, Crosby, Powers and Roth hit three straight singles, with Roth's contribution scoring Crosby, cutting the lead to five runs. In the fifth, Chung connected on a two out two-run double down the left field line, scoring Martinez, and in the sixth Powers scratched a one out single to right, and scored on a double by Roth to cut the deficit to three runs.
The Aggies scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 10-3 lead before the Hornets mounted a rally in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with no one out. Wheeler connected on a RBI single to make the score 10-4, and Crosby followed with a two-run double to right center, closing the gap to 10-6. Wheeler scored on a wild pitch to make the score 10-7, and the Hornets were then able to reload the bases with one out and the tying run at first. But, Aggie closer Erik Nyquist was able to secure the final two outs, and New Mexico State was able to hold on for the 10-7 victory.
Sophomore Brandon Sandoval (3-3) picked up the loss for the Hornets, allowing 10 runs, seven earned on 10 hits in 5.1 innings. Daniel Simon (6-0) picked up the win for the Aggies, while Nyquist collected his fifth save of the season.
Crosby and Powers led the Hornets offensively with five hits on the day apiece, with Crosby adding seven RBI and four runs scored. Roth added two doubles and four RBI on the day, while Wheeler went 4-for-8 with three RBI and five runs scored.
The Hornets and Aggies will close out their four-game series with a single game tomorrow at 12 p.m. Pacific time.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The Sacramento State baseball team split a conference doubleheader with the No. 23 New Mexico State Aggies, winning game one 18-13, before losing game two 10-7.
