Walk-off homer lifts Hornets over Pioneers

Image: Walk-off homer lifts Hornets over Pioneers:The Hornets swept Cal State Hayward over the weekend.:

Image: Walk-off homer lifts Hornets over Pioneers:The Hornets swept Cal State Hayward over the weekend.:

Daniel Barnes

Bret LeVier smacked two huge home runs as Sacramento State recorded a three-game sweep over the streaking Div. III Cal State Hayward Pioneers last weekend at Hornet Field.

Hayward (15-13) entered the series on a nine-game winning streak, the longest in school history. But Sac State (19-15) ripped up their record book and continued their home-field dominance — the Hornets are 15-4 at Hornet Field this season.

In Sunday’s series finale, Hayward’s sloppy play staked the Hornets to a big lead early, as two errors, two stolen bases, a wild pitch and a passed ball in the second inning led to six Sac State runs.

Hayward struck back for two in the fifth off of battered starter Renecke Stelzriede, and three in the seventh off of reliever James Wheeler to tie the game, 7-7.

LeVier’s RBI double in the bottom of the seventh gave Sac State the lead back, but Kinsey blew the save opportunity in the ninth when catcher Matt Wilson’s passed ball with the bases loaded allowed Hayward to tie the game, 8-8.

Wilson’s miscue set the stage for LeVier’s heroics — the third baseman smashed a long walk-off homer over the wall in right field to send the Hornet faithful home happy.

“My first thought was just to get on base for the next guy,” said LeVier of his walk-off home run. “The pitcher was throwing fastballs to everybody, and he left one up and away.” The home run was LeVier’s fourth of the season.

Junior Jesse Schmidt, who extended his team-high hitting streak to 17 games, stands just five games shy of breaking all the all-time Sac State record of 22, set by Casey Simpson in 1992.

“It doesn’t mean as much to me as a win,” said Schmidt when asked about the streak. “My approach is just to hit the ball solid.”Strong winds prevented the usual Hornet power display in Friday’s opener, but Sac State won 5-3 behind strong pitching and solid fundamentals.

Sac State scored first when Jim Strombach drew a bases-loaded walk from Pioneer starter Chris Regnart. Chris Kinsey plated another run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly.

Strombach struck again in the seventh after Hayward closed within two. The Hawaii native doubled to open the inning, then stole third and scored on a wild pitch.

Staff ace Marshall Plouffe (5-2) picked up the win for the Hornets, pitching into the eighth inning while allowing only two earned runs and walking none.

The Hornets struck early in the second game of the series, hanging a crooked five on the scoreboard in the first inning behind RBI singles from Tim Reimer and Matt Wilson, an RBI double from junior Mikela Olsen, and an RBI triple from junior infielder John Acha.

Hayward threatened late in the game, turning a five-run Hornet lead into a 7-6 ballgame.

But the Hornets put the game away in the eighth when LeVier, Sac State’s placekicker during football season, roped a two-run homer to left that appeared to slice foul, but was ruled fair, to make the final score 9-6.

“That ball was foul,” said LeVier of his controversial home run. “But you’ll take everything you can get when you’re in a slump.”

Sacramento got some brotherly love on the mound Saturday when senior Steve Cuckovich (5-1) earned the win, while his younger brother, freshman Mel Cuckovich, pitched the last three innings to get the save.

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