BASEBALL SPLITS DOUBLEHEADER AT PEORIA COLLEGE SHOWCASE
2/26/2010
PEORIA, Ariz. - The Sacramento State baseball team split a doubleheader to open the 2010 Peoria College Showcase, falling to No. 25 Kansas 4-3 before defeating Gonzaga 8-2 on Fri., Feb. 26 at the Peoria Sports Complex.
With the results of the doubleheader, Sacramento State moves to 3-2 on the season, while Kansas improved to 2-1 and Gonzaga fell to 2-2.
Game two saw Sacramento State take a close game and turn it into a comfortable victory. With the score tied 2-2 heading into the top of the ninth, the Hornets scored six runs to pick up the victory. With one out, junior Derrick Chung started the rally with a walk, and sophomore Justin Lamb followed with a double to left center. Chung scored on an errant relay by Gonzaga shortstop Ernesto Ortiz, giving the Hornets a 3-2 lead. Junior Kyle Baskett then walked in a pinch hitting role, and following a flyout, freshman Blake Miller reached on an error by second baseman Clayton Eslick, scoring senior Justin Mezzaneras, who pinch ran for Lamb.
More insurance then came as senior Josh Powers unleashed a double to left center, scoring Baskett to push the advantage to 5-2. After junior Jake Chilton reached on a walk, junior Kirby Young connected on a two-run single through the right side, scoring Miller and Powers to push the lead to 7-2. The final run came across as junior Trevor Bloom reached on an error by Ortiz, which scored Chilton and gave the Hornets an 8-2 lead. Junior Andrew Galvan then threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth, including a pair of strikeouts, cementing the Hornet victory.
Gonzaga had earlier taken a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Andy Hunter hit a two-out solo homer to left field. The Hornets took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third, as Chilton hit a two-run blast to right center, his first as a Hornet, scoring junior Brent Hottman, who had singled to lead off the inning.
The Bulldogs tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh, as Hunter hit a leadoff double, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly by Royce Bolinger.
Hornet senior Jose Ramirez started for the Hornets and pitched well, allowing just one run, the Hunter homer, on four hits in five innings of work. However, he did not factor in the decision. Junior James Chamberlin (1-0) kept up the stellar pitching in the bullpen, after missing the opening weekend with an ankle injury. Chamberlin allowed one unearned run on one hit in three innings, striking out two Bulldogs, to pick up the victory. Jeremy Stumetz (0-1) picked up the loss out of the Gonzaga bullpen, allowing five runs, all of which were unearned, on two hits in 0.2 innings of work.
In game one against Kansas, Sacramento State opened the scoring in the top of the first, as Chilton connected on a one-out single, and came around to score after Young singled to right and Kansas right fielder Casey Lytle misplayed the ball resulting in a fielding error. Kansas tied the score at 1-1 in the bottom half of the inning, as Lytle made up for his miscue with a leadoff double, and after a sacrifice bunt moved him to third, Lytle scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Brian Heere.
The Jayhawks took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third, as with two outs, Lytle was hit by a pitch, and following a second hit batter, Heere singled to load the bases. Jimmy Waters then delivered a two-run single to right, plating Lytle and Bobby Price to push the Kansas lead to two runs.
Sacramento State fought back to push a run across in the top of the fourth, as junior Baskett scored from second on a RBI single by Bloom, pulling Sacramento State to within a run at 3-2.
The final run for Kansas came in the bottom of the sixth, as Zac Elgie singled to leadoff the inning, and then moved all the way to third on a failed pickoff attempt by senior Robert Butler. Jake Marasco then provided an RBI single, increasing the Jayhawk lead to 4-2.
The Hornets scored one more run in the top of the seventh, as Bloom singled to left, and advanced to third after Chilton reached on a fielding error by Kansas second baseman Price. Young then drove Bloom home after a RBI double to left field, cutting the lead to 4-3. The Hornets got a runner on second with two down in the ninth, but Chilton grounded out to short, ending the rally and giving Kansas the victory.
Sophomore Jesse Darrah (0-1) dropped his first decision since March 7, 2009, allowing three runs on four hits in five innings of work, striking out four while walking three. Brett Bollman (1-0) picked up the win, allowing three runs, just one earned, while spreading out seven hits over 6.2 innings pitched. Brett Bochy (1), the son of Giants manager Bruce Bochy, picked up the save, allowing one hit over the final two innings.
Young led the Hornets on the day, going 4-for-9 with a double and three RBI, while Chilton had a pair of RBI on his first home run of the season. After hitting .385 against UNLV to open the season, the Hornets played in a pair of pitching duels, hitting just .222. The Hornet pitching staff, however, limited their opponents to just a .211 batting average.
Sacramento State continues play in the tournament on Saturday, taking on Kansas at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.
