Oh how quickly things can change.

Sac State’s Marshall Plouffe, a freshman making his first career start, allowed only one hit in seven innings of shut out baseball on Tuesday at Hornet Field vs. Santa Clara.

His team led 2-0 at the time and that score held up until the top of the ninth inning, when the Hornets’ bullpen fell apart. Sac State ended up losing 4-3, dropping the team to 18-25 overall.

In that inning, Sac State sophomore Steve Cuckovich allowed a single to Matt Queen and a walk to John Hilvert. This put the tying run on base and Sac State closer Michael Penbera entered the game. Penbera walked the first batter he faced before giving up a two-run single to Kellan McConnell, tying the game. Penbera then yielded a bunt single before allowing the game-winning hit to Joe Diefenderfer, who’s two-run single put his team up 4-2.

Sac State’s Joe Evans homered in the bottom of the ninth inning, for his second long ball of the game, but it wasn’t enough. Evans leads the team with 12 home runs.

Usually, Penbera enters the game at the start of the ninth inning in save situations, but Smith went with Cuckovich in order to give him some confidence, and it backfired.

“We made a decision to try and get Cuckovich back on track. We wanted him to go out feeling good,” said Smith about his pitcher who struggled in the eighth inning as well. “Even Penbera didn’t have his best stuff.”

The ninth inning bullpen collapse also deprived Plouffe of a win in his first start.

“That’s a shame, he was outstanding,” Smith said. “If we were in a situation where he’d started more games, we would have let him keep pitching. But it was a fabulous debut. He pitched very, very well.”

Plouffe, who walked one and struck out eight Broncos in his seven innings, had a no-hitter until Santa Clara’s Alex Anderson got a single with one out in the top of the seventh inning.

“You try not to think about it and to keep doing what you’re doing,” said Plouffe about his bid for a no-hitter. “There is nothing I can do (about watching ninth inning). That is baseball.”

Sac State travels to Cal Poly on Friday for a 7 p.m. game. They also play Saturday night and Sunday afternoon versus the Mustangs.