Tanner Mendonca (above) earned the win in game one, his first collegiate start.
DAVIS, Calif. - The Sacramento State baseball team split a doubleheader against rival UC Davis on Sunday at Dobbins Stadium. The Hornets won the first game, both squad's season-opener, 4-3, but dropped a nailbiter to the Aggies in the second game, 1-0.
The Hornets improved their record to 11-11 in season-openers since 1990 with the victory in the first game and, after the doubleheader, is now 30-31 all-time in the Div. I era versus their rivals.
FIRST GAME: W, 4-3 In the first game, freshman pitcher Tanner Mendonca took the ball from first year head coach Reggie Christiansen and the rookie earned the win in a 4-3 victory. Mendonca (1-0) went six innings, allowed nine hits and three earned runs while he struck out two and issued one walk.
James Chamberlin shut the door in relief, as he preserved the win for Mendonca and earned the save. Chamberlin allowed just one hit and issued only one walk while facing the minimum nine batters in three innings.
UC Davis' Dayne Quist (0-1) took the loss for the Aggies as he pitched six innings with four earned runs, seven hits and eight strikeouts.
Freshman Derek Goodwin, playing at designated hitter, drove in a pair of runs on a double in the Hornets' three-run first inning and added another RBI on a groundout in the sixth inning, which proved to be the game winner.
Catcher Derrick Chung also had an RBI in the first inning and went 2-for-4 with two runs while batting third in the lineup.
A total of six different Hornets had hits in the game while seven Aggies accounted for UC Davis' 10 hits.
Third baseman Paul Politi went 3-for-4 with a home run in the sixth inning for the Aggies and Scott Lyman hit a two-run shot in the third inning as all of UC Davis' runs came via the long ball.
SECOND GAME: L, 0-1
While the Hornets scored three runs in the first inning of the first game, the second game's only run didn't come until the eighth inning.
Sacramento State freshman Sam Kuykendall pitched 5.1 scoreless innings in his first collegiate start. He allowed just three hits while walking one and striking out a pair. But UC Davis eventually got to reliever Andrew Galvan, who allowed one run and three hits in 2.2 innings pitched.
In the eighth inning, UC Davis' Daniel Cepin led off with a single and was sacrificed to second by Scott Heylman. After David Popkins' single moved Cepin to third, Scott Lyman singled through the right side to plate Cepin and drive home the game's only run.
UC Davis starter Anthony Kupbens pitched six scoreless innings with six strikeouts, one walk and three hits. The Aggies had three relievers combine to allow just one hit while recording four strikeouts.
Reliever Joe Biagini (1-0) earned the win for UC Davis while Galvan (0-1) took the loss. Tom Briner got the save.
Sacramento State was held to just four hits, with Trevor Paine accounting for half as he went 2-for-4. Lyman went 2-for-3 at the dish and drove in three of UC Davis' four combined runs in the doubleheader.
TOMORROW
The Hornets will make up their postponed Saturday home game with UC Davis on Monday at 2 p.m. at John Smith Field.
