SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento State baseball team posted seven hits and hit many other hard-liners and fly balls, but fell to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in the series opener 9-0 on Thursday afternoon.
The Hornets fall to 8-15-1 while the Gauchos improve to 12-8.
UC Santa Barbara hit a trio of home runs in the first two innings to take a commanding 6-0 lead. The Hornets, on the other hand, faced several near misses in the home run department. In the bottom of the first, junior Kirby Young hit a deep fly ball to center field that was caught at the warning track by Gunnar Terhune. In the bottom of the sixth, junior Trevor Paine hit a deep ball over the left field fence that was ruled foul by a narrow margin. The final blast came in the bottom of the ninth, as junior Jake Chilton took the first pitch he saw and hit it over the right field fence, but it was brought back into play by right fielder Mark Haddow, who made a leaping home run robbing catch to preserve the shutout.
Six Hornets posted hits in the game, led by freshman Blake Miller, who was 2-for-4 at the plate. Freshman Andrew Ayers, Chilton, sophomore Justin Lamb, senior Justin Mezzaneras and Paine each posted a single hit apiece, with Ayers posting a double, the Hornets lone extra base hit.
Junior college transfer Nick Capito (4-2) posted his second straight complete game for UC Santa Barbara in the shutout win. The lefthander scattered seven hits over nine innings, walking two batters and allowing three Hornet baserunners to reach second base and just one to reach third. Four Gauchos posted two hits apiece, and Sean Williams, Beck Wheeler and Ryan Palermo each provided home runs.
Junior Logan Todd (1-2) picked up the loss for the Hornets, allowing six runs on six hits in two innings of work. Senior Robert Butler pitched well out of the Hornet pen, allowing just three runs on six hits in seven innings of relief, striking out three.
The two teams will be back in action on Friday, April 2 for game two of the three-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Hornet Field.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento State baseball team posted seven hits and hit many other hard-liners and fly balls, but fell to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in the series opener 9-0 on Thursday afternoon.
