Junior Chris Kinsey hurled his second career shutout while sophomore Everet Rincon and junior Mikela Olsen provided timely hits to lead the Sacramento State baseball team to a 3-0 win over San Francisco Friday afternoon at Hornet Field. The Hornets improved to 32-23 on the year while the Dons fell to 24-30. After three scoreless innings, Sacramento State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the fourth after a two-run single by Rincon. Olsen led off the inning with a base hit to center field. With two outs, sophomore Bret LeVier and freshman Jim Strombach each singled to load the bases. In the next at-bat, Rincon pulled a 2-2 pitch to left field to put the Hornet ahead.
Olsen made it a 3-0 contest in the fifth when he pulled a solo homer down the right-field line with two outs. The Oakhurst native is now tied with junior Jesse Schmidt for the team lead with 16 home runs on the season. Olsen leads the squad with a .410 batting average, 87 hits, 20 doubles, 65 RBI, 159 total bases and a .750 slugging percentage.
Kinsey (7-6) earned his first complete-game shutout of the season after holding the Dons to only four hits while walking two and striking out two. The Elk Grove native now leads the squad with seven wins, 95.1 innings, 98 strikeouts and a .234 opponents batting average.
Senior Tim Reimer increased his career-best hitting streak to 13 games after finishing 1-for-3 from the plate. The San Jose native now holds the Hornets’ second-longest streak of the season (Schmidt set the program record with 24 earlier this season).
LeVier finished the contest 3-for-3 to also lead the squad.
Bryan Williams (5-5) was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs on 10 hits while striking out five and walking none in nine innings of work.
The Hornets will next face San Francisco at Benedetti Field on Saturday, May 17, at 1 p.m. The series finale will be on Sunday, May 18, at 1 p.m. at Hornet Field. The contest, which will serve as Senior and Fan Appreciation Day, will mark the final game of the 2003 season.
