Karl Maas threw a complete game five-hitter on Friday and the Hornets beat Nevada, 4-2.
RENO, Nev. -Karl Maas threw his second complete game of the season, allowing just two runs on five hits, and the Sacramento State baseball team started a four-game Western Athletic Conference series at Nevada with a 4-2 victory on Friday night at Peccole Park.
The Hornets improved to 18-33 (5-12 WAC) with the win while the Wolf Pack fell to 17-27 (6-10 WAC) after the loss.
Maas (4-4) earned his first conference win of the season in his fifth WAC start. The senior walk-on from Tracy, Calif., began the season as the Tuesday starter but pitched his way into the lead Friday starter role. He now sports a 4.44 ERA in 12 starts and a team-high 75 innings pitched.
Nevada starter Troy Marks (3-3), who also pitched a complete game, took the loss after giving up four runs on 10 hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Nevada got to Maas early, scoring a run in the first inning to take a brief lead, but the Hornets answered with four runs in the second.
After a fly out to start the inning, Blake Miller singled to left. David Del Grande followed with his own single, this time to right, and Miller advanced to third. After Brent Hottman drew a walk to load the bases, Jake Chilton ripped a double down the right field line which scored both Miller and Del Grande. Hottman came home on Andrew Ayers' RBI single while Chilton scored on Derrick Chung's sacrifice fly.
Nevada scored again in the sixth inning but Maas continued to pitch himself out of situations with runners in scoring position. The Wolf Pack left eight runners on base in the game compared to just three by the Hornets.
In the ninth, Maas struck out Hugo Hernandez to start the inning but pinch hitter Michael Turay reached on a throwing error by Will Soto at third and advanced to second. Maas then walked Braden Shipley to put runners at first and second but leadoff hitter Waylen Sing Chow hit Maas' first pitch of the at-bat to short and Miller, Ayers and Del Grande combined for the 6-4-3 double play that closed out the game.
Soto, the reigning WAC Hitter of the Week, continued his torrid pace by going 2-for-4 on Friday after hitting .702 in four games at New Mexico State last weekend. Del Grande went 2-for-4 as well while Chung went 2-for-3.
The Hornets and Wolf Pack meet on Saturday for a doubleheader with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
