SOTO LEADS THE WAY AGAIN AS BASEBALL BEATS NEW MEXICO STATE, 19-11, TO SPLIT SERIES
5/8/2011
Will Soto went 12-for-17 over the weekend at New Mexico State.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - After he went 5-for-6 in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against New Mexico, Will Soto touched up the Aggies for four more hits on Sunday and the Sacramento State baseball team scored a season-high 19 runs on 19 hits to split a four-game Western Athletic Conference series with a 19-11 victory on Sunday afternoon at Presley Askew Field.
Soto, a freshman from Elk Grove High School, went 12-for-17 with eight RBIs and seven runs scored in the four-game series. Soto was hitting .158 (12-for-76) on the season before exploding against the Aggies. He improved his batting average to .258 (24-for-93) after the weekend.
The Hornets (17-33, 4-12 WAC) scored 50 runs on a ridiculous 67 hits over the weekend. The offense bailed out the pitching staff, which tallied a 10.30 team ERA in the series. New Mexico State fell to 32-16 (7-9 WAC) after the loss on Sunday.
Andrew Galvan (1-6) earned his first win of the season in relief while Riley Bevill (2-3) took the loss.
Sacramento State jumped out quickly in the game, scoring three runs in the first inning but used a nine-run seventh (their most runs in an inning this season) to put away the Aggies.
The Hornets faced their first and only deficit in the game when NMSU scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth but Sacramento State tied it up, 8-8, with a single run in the sixth before putting up nine runs in the seventh.
David Del Grande led off with a single to left and scored on Brent Hottman's RBI double to right in the next at-bat. Hottman moved to third on Carter Loud's ground out and Andrew Ayers got aboard safely on one of the Aggie's five errors on Sunday.
With runners at first and third, Derrick Chung, who scored 10 runs in the series, singled through the right side to score Hottman and push ahead Ayers. Soto then singled to left to score Ayers. In the next at-bat, Kirby Young reached on an error by the shortstop which allowed Chung and Soto to score.
Hunter Adrian followed with a triple down the right field line which plated Young. Miller followed with his own triple that drove in Adrian and Del Grande then one-upped them both with a two-run home run to left.
Soto had four hits while Chung, Adrian and Del Grande each had three hits. Hottman and Ayers had two hits apiece. Young, Adrian and Del Grande each had three RBIs while Chung had four runs.
Tanner Mendonca started the game for the Hornets, allowing eight runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings. Galvan earned the win after giving up three runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings. New Mexico State starter Trey Ross alowed seven runs on six hits in 3.1 innings while Bevill surrendered five runs (three earned) on seven hits. Two other relievers allowed seven runs (two earned) on six hits in 2.2 innings.
Sacramento State 19, New Mexico State 11 (May 08, 2011 at Las Cruces, N.M.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sacramento State.... 301 301 902 - 19 19 0 (17-33, 4-12 WAC)
New Mexico State.... 013 040 003 - 11 17 5 (32-16, 7-9 WAC)
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Pitchers: Sacramento State - Mendonca, Tanner; Galvan, Andrew(5). New Mexico State -
Ross, Trey; Bevill, Riley(4); Renteria, Gerardo(7); Mack, Tyler(7).
Win-Galvan, Andrew(1-6) Loss-Bevill, Riley(2-3) T-3:24 A-177
HR SAC - Del Grande, David (3).
HR NMSU - Owens, Tyler (1); Rust, Tanner (2).
Weather: Sunny and breezy
Renteria faced 3 batters in the 7th.
