The Sacramento State baseball team continued to struggle last weekend, winning only one of three games in a home-road-home series against the Saint Mary’s Gaels of Moraga.-

The Hornets have lost five of their last six games, and head coach John Smith blamed the recent losses on the struggling Sac State bats. “We didn’t swing the bats as well as we did earlier in the season. Unfortunately, we’ve got about five guys in a mini-slump right now,” Smith said.-

The Hornets won the first game of the series 5-3 at Hornet Field behind a home run and two RBI from right fielder Jesse Schmidt and a solid starting performance from junior Marshall Plouffe (1-1). Friday’s victory was career win No. 700 for Smith.-

Saint Mary’s struck back in the second game behind two home runs from third baseman Brian Byrne. The Hornets led Saturday’s game 4-2 after a four-run fifth inning, capped by a two-run homer from junior Cliff Hinkle.-

But the Hornets’ bats went limp for the rest of the game, as Gael pitchers retired the next 11 hitters they faced. Saint Mary’s scored one run in each of the next three innings, and ended up winning 5-4.-

Hornets’ starting pitcher Chris Kinsey (1-2) allowed all five of Saint Mary’s runs in his seven innings, scattering eight hits while striking out two.-

Sunday’s rubber game proved to be the most emotionally charged contest of the series, as the Hornets’ bench cleared twice in the bottom of the sixth inning.-

The first bench-clearing occurred when a collision at the plate between Hornet outfielder Tim Reimer and Gaels catcher Nick Conte turned into a near-brawl. –

With the Hornets down 3-0, Reimer made an ill-advised attempt to score from third base when the Gaels bobbled the ball around in the infield. Conte blocked Reimer at the plate for the out, and the chaos ensued. –

Both teams poured out onto the field as Reimer and Conte shoved and barked at each other, but the umpires quickly restored order before punches were thrown or ejections were dealt out.-

Two batters later, hot-hitting left fielder Mikela Olsen cleared the Hornet bench again when he crushed a dramatic, game-tying, three-run homer off of Saint Mary’s starter Justin Sloan.-

Olsen continues to be the hottest Sac State hitter, and finished the weekend leading all Hornet hitters in batting average (.421), RBI (12), and doubles (4).-

“He threw me a hanging curve on the first pitch, then threw me the exact same thing on the second,” said Olsen following Sunday’s loss. “I saw it big, took a good hack, and I knew it was gone instantly.”-

Conte had the last laugh, however, slugging a two-run homer over the wall in left field to cap a four-run seventh inning that proved to be the difference for the Gaels.-

“We need to go back to the drawing board and start re-learning how to hit sliders,” Smith said. “The sliders are eating us up right now.”-

Olsen agreed with Smith’s assessment of the Hornets’ performance.

“We watched a lot of hanging curves go by today, and if you don’t swing at mistakes, you won’t win at this level,” Olsen said.

The Hornets will next head into a three-game road series against a tough UC Santa Barbara ballclub.

The Hornets hosted San Francisco State on Feb. 25, but scores were not available by press time.

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