The setting was different but the end result was the same. In fact it was somewhat worse.

For the second time this season, UC Davis defeated Sac State’s baseball team this year, this time drubbing the Hornets 12-2 at Raley Field before a crowd of 2,196 on Tuesday night.

The Aggies (11-19) Luke Steidlmayer pitched six innings, allowing four hits and no earned runs, improving his record to 6-1.

Sac State (16-17) freshman Chris Kinsey made his first career start and he was belted for four runs in 2/3 of an inning before being relieved by Steve Cuckovich, who pitched the next 5 1/3 innings.

Sac State head coach John Smith was not in a position where he could start one of his main three starting pitchers, because the Hornets were coming off a three-game series with Cal State Northidge, and set to open Big West Conference action this weekend at Long Beach State.

“They (Davis) were in a position where they could (start their ace). He (Steidlmayer) pitched a lot on Thursday and threw a hell of game tonight,” Smith said. “Plus, we were just coming off a three-game series.”

Davis scored four runs in the first inning with the help of a bases loaded walk and a two-out, two-run single off the bat of Ryan Ceriani. Taylor Macleod-Roemer also had a RBI single in the inning. In the win, Macleod-Roemer went 3-3 with three RBI and a homerun.That inning was enough to defeat the Hornets.

Neither the large crowd at Raley Field, nor the energetic fans seemed to elevate Sac State’s level of play.

“I thought the players were excited,” Smith said. “But evidently, they were not excited enough.”The crowd was entertaining at times, and at one point the members of the Sac State band began chanting, “Hemoglobin, Hemoglobin, we want blood,” after a Davis player was hit by a pitch by Cuckovich in the second inning.

Sac State returns to action with a series at Long Beach State this weekend, as they open up Big West Conference play. Coach John Smith is not sure that the team is ready for the games to start really counting.

“I don?t know what’s going through the player’s minds,” said Smith about his team’s current mindset. “Number one, we have to put the ball in play and make contact.”