Sacramento State showed how important it is to capitalize on mistakes.

With runners on second and third in the ninth inning, Hornet center fielder David Del Grande dove head first over home plate to win the game, 3-2, Saturday against San Jose State. 

Del Grande’s opportunity to score came after Spartans’ pitcher Kalei Contrades threw a curve ball that skipped to the backstop, allowing the run to score.

The win ensures Sac State a spot in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in two weeks and improves its record to 32-20 and 14-10 in the conference.

In the three-game series, the Hornets out-hit San Jose by five, but Sac State head coach Reggie Christiansen said his team could have had 25 hits in the series finale. 

“Our guys battled back,” Christiansen said. “You look a the last two games on how many balls we hit hard, but (they were just at guys).”

Not only did the Hornets offense come through, but the starting pitching as well. 

Junior pitcher Tanner Mendonca pitched into the eighth inning for the first time since he shut out CSU Bakersfield last year on March 30, 2012.

Although Mendonca did not receive the win yesterday against San Jose, he gave up only two earned runs on five hits while walking a batter and striking out five. He said he felt great the entire game.

“The last couple of outings I haven’t been able to stay in the game because of my high pitch count,” Mendonca said. “But today I was able to get ahead early in the count and get outs early. It worked well.”

Sac State started the game with a lead in the first inning when freshman first baseman Chris Lewis drove a two-run home run over the left field wall for his fourth home run of the season. 

This season Lewis leads the team with a .362 average and has a team-high 45 RBIs. 

The Spartans quickly responded with a run in the top of the first when third baseman Sheldon Daquioag drove in an RBI and later in the seventh when right fielder Nick Schultz singled in second baseman Jacob Valdez to tie the game.

“They are not as bad as their record indicates,” Christiansen said. “Their situation was a lot like where we were a few years ago, so I have a lot of respect for those guys in that dugout.”

Last season, San Jose saw its former coach Sam Pariro retire. He was replaced by Dave Nakama, who has led the team to a 15-36 record and currently holds on to eighth place in the WAC.

Before the Hornets look to their final conference series of the season against UT Arlington, they will travel down the freeway to Stockton against the University of Pacific. 

First pitch is at 6 p.m.

Ryan can be reached on Twitter at @rskuhn