In his first start of the season, facing a Western Athletic Conference-leading Louisiana Tech team with a powerhouse offense that had scored 20 runs in the last two games, Sacramento State pitcher John Schlager couldn’t have picked a better time to turn into a surprise hero.

Schlager, the Hornet lefty who had made just 10 appearances all season, shut down the first-place Bulldogs on Sunday, allowing just one run and seven hits while striking out nine batters in eight innings as Sac State recorded a 2-1 victory at Hornet Field. The win was Schlager’s first of the year and it gave the Hornets the series win over the Bulldogs, pushing their record to 19-24 and 8-7 in the WAC.

After the two teams split the first two games of the series, Sac State coach John Smith decided to hand the ball to Schlager, who had pitched nine innings in the season, for what may have been the most important game of the year.

“I was a little nervous,” Schlager said. “I gave up that double to the first batter (Louisiana Tech center fielder Adam Cobb), but then I told myself I was going to have to relax, or else I was going to get hit hard.”

After allowing the double to Cobb, Schlager proceeded to strike out the next three batters to get out of trouble. In the seventh, Louisiana Tech pitcher Jericho Jones blasted a home run over the center field fence to give the Bulldogs a brief 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the inning, however, the Hornets took the lead for good when left fielder Brian Conradi hit a two-run homer to left field.

Schlager allowed the first batter to reach base in the ninth inning, but Hornet reliever Billy Sinacori came on to retire the next three batters to preserve the win and earn his fifth save of the year.

Schlager had taken the mound just once since the beginning of April, showed no signs of rust after being used so sporadically during the season, baffling an offense that few pitchers had been able to slow down.

“Early in the year, my mechanics were all off, I was overthrowing,” said Schlager. “Yesterday (the coaches) told me just to relax and get the ball down, hit spots. I didn’t try to overpower anybody, and my stuff just worked out there all day.”

Paul Rice can be reached at [email protected]