After having their six-game win streak snapped on Thursday, the Sacramento State Hornets rebounded to beat San Jose State 9-7 at Hornet Field Friday afternoon. Despite letting an early 5-2 lead slip away, the Hornets battled back to retake the lead, and fought off a late comeback attempt by the Spartans to seal the win. The win was the Hornets’ sixth in the last seventh games and it put them at 18-21 on the year and 6-5 in Western Athletic Conference competition.

Hornet third baseman David Flores led the team with three hits and three RBIs, continuing his red-hot hitting that began last weekend in New Mexico. Flores has 16 hits in the last five games.

“I feel real comfortable at the plate right now,” said Flores. “The coaches have been helping me and I’ve been seeing pitches real well.”

Sac State jumped out to an early 5-1 lead after three innings, scoring three in the first inning on RBI singles by Flores and Jim Strombach, and two more in the third when Flores doubled in a run and scored on an error by San Jose State catcher Brod Massman.

The Spartans stormed right back with a run in the fourth, then tied the game on a three-run homer by right fielder Don Giovanatto an inning later. The Hornets, though, seemingly unfazed, took the lead right back with three runs in the bottom half of the fifth and another in the sixth.

Down 9-5, San Jose State mounted two late rallies in the eighth and ninth innings. With nobody out in the eighth, Hornet reliever Justin Deme walked the bases loaded, but James Wheeler came on in relief and got Sac State out of the jam with just one run scoring. In the ninth, San Jose State loaded the bases again, plating one runner and putting the tying run on second base. Sac State reliever Billy Sinacori, though, came on in relief of Wheeler and induced Spartan right fielder Don Giovanatto to ground into a game-ending double play.

“I just went out trying to throw strikes,” said Sinacori, who earned his fourth save of the season. “If you do that, often times hitters will just get themselves out. I just came in looking to close it out.”

Matt Campbell earned his fourth win of the season, going seven innings and giving up six runs. Despite being shaky early on, Campbell regained his poise and settled down after the team went up for good in the bottom of the fifth.

“With Soup (Campbell), you always know what you’re going to get,” said Flores. “We knew that when we took the lead back he was going to come back strong, and he put up two zeros.”

Gary Johnson, Brian Blauser, and Jim Strombach each had two hits apiece in the win. The Hornets will close out the series with San Jose State in the rubber match Saturday at 1 p.m. before heading to Stanford on Tuesday.

Paul Rice can be reached at [email protected]