Sacramento State took their third series win against Western Athletic Conference teams, this time in dramatic fashion with go-ahead home runs, grand slams and walk-off wins against Seattle University.
The Hornets welcomed the Redhawks for a 3-game series, dropping just one at John Smith Field.
Friday: Seattle 4, Sac State 6
The Hornets grabbed the first lead of the series on back-to-back doubles in the first inning. Senior outfielder Tyler White and junior outfielder Luis Pimentel-Guerrero both hit drives to left field, scoring White for a 1-0 lead.
Seattle wasn’t far behind, squaring up a home run deep over the right field fence to tie the game in the top of the second.
Redhawk sophomore utility player Kenny Ishikawa continued the shelling with another blast to right field, a 2-run go-ahead homer that put the Hawks ahead 3-1.
Not to be outdone, the Hornets responded with their own multi-run inning in the fourth.
After hitting a lead-off double, senior outfielder Ryan Christiansen used his speed to score on a fly out after advancing to third.
With two runners on and two outs, Pimentel-Guerrero cashed in with a 2-run RBI single to center field to tie the game at three a piece.
The Redhawks still had some gas in the tank in the fifth, putting together a 2-out rally of their own with an RBI triple down the right field line, scoring the go-ahead run for a 4-3 lead.
Senior reliever Noah Lucchesi entered the game in the seventh inning and held the Redhawks scoreless through two innings. while He struck striking out three, and iced the Redhawks the longest drought of the day in his best outing of the season. His best outing of the season. Those two scoreless innings were the longest scoring drought of the day.
“Honestly, all the pitches were working,” Lucchesi said. “I was just trying to put zeroes up there and do my best to keep the team in the game.”
Lucchesi had an equal match in Redhawks’ reliever, freshman pitcher Isaac Hallam, who kept the Hornets limited to one hit and off the board for three innings.
The game was put on ice for both teams until the eighth inning.
A 4-pitch walk followed by a sharp hit under the glove of the Seattle first baseman put two runners on for redshirt junior catcher Elie Kligman.
Kligman took advantage of a hanging breaking ball right down the pipe, sending it for a ride over the right field fence, putting the Hornets ahead and securing the win at 6-4.
“I don’t even remember it honestly,” Kligman said. “I just remember it going over the fence and then I kinda blacked out.”
The 3-run shot was made extra special by his dad, who was able to make the Friday evening game.
“Every time I can have a moment like that in front of my dad, that’s always special,” Kligman said.
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Saturday: Seattle 6, Sac State 7
The evening started rocky for the Hornets after a fielding error by junior pitcher Carson Latimer in the second.
With two runners on, Latimer fielded a swinging bunt but threw the ball down the right field line on the putout attempt. The error turned an easy out into a bases-clearing triple, allowing both runners to score for a 2-0 Seattle lead.
The next batter put a drive in center field, sending the runner from third and extending the Redhawks’ lead to 3-0.
It looked as if the wheels had fallen off the wagon after the end of the top of the second. But the Hornets rallied themselves and put together an inning of epic proportions in the bottom half of the inning.
The Seattle reliever hit a batter and issued three walks, putting five runners on the basepaths despite giving up just one single. Sac State scored two runs on two bases-loaded walks, bringing them within one.
The bases remained loaded for junior first baseman JP Smith, who worked a full count before turning on a chest-high offering, sending it bouncing off the top of the left field fence, just fair enough for a grand slam.
The home run put the Hornets ahead 6-3 and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
The Redhawks took advantage of wild Hornet pitching after a hit batter and a bases-loaded walk brought in a run, closing the gap to 6-4 in the third.
In the top of the fourth, the Redhawks loaded the bases on a double, a single and a walk. The pressure built for sophomore pitcher Sean Carey, who threw behind the batter, allowing a fifth run.
Despite a pitching change by Sac State, a sacrifice fly was deep enough to score the runner from third, completing the Redhawks’ comeback, tying the game at 6-6.
What followed was seven long innings of no-run ball. As the game drew longer into the night, the crowd began to thin. What started as a raucous game full of big hits proceeded as a quiet endeavor in patience with little to cheer for.
It wasn’t until the ninth inning that the Hornets successfully put a runner on third base. With the bases loaded, freshman outfielder Orlando Cobarrubias hit a grounder to the Redhawk first baseman, who threw out the winning run at home. A fly out ended the inning and left all three baserunners stranded.
Neither team seemed able to put the go-ahead run across the plate, as both went down in order in their respective halves of the tenth.
By the time the eleventh inning came, few remained in the stands to brave the cold as a game that felt as if it would never end neared the 4-hour mark.
In the bottom of the eleventh, the Hornets did little to disprove this notion. Two quick outs made it appear that this inning would go down in order once again. However, a Christiansen walk put the winning run on first. An unlikely hero stepped up to the plate in senior outfielder Matt Masciangelo.
Saturday was his third game back in the lineup since injuring his hand at the beginning of the season. The senior hadn’t hit for power since returning. With the runner on first and two outs, Masciangelo had to hit something deep enough to earn the win.
As the fortieth Hornet batter to step up to the plate, Masciangelo took an inside pitch to the right field wall. The fielder miss-played the bounce off the fence as the ball rebounded behind him.
By the time he picked up the ball to try and save the game, Christiansen had already stepped on home plate and was running to meet Masciangelo to celebrate the 7-6 walk-off win.
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After 11 innings & three hours and 45 minutes, Matt Masciangelo was done playing… #StingersUp pic.twitter.com/j3CDMswR4O— Sac State Baseball (@SacStBaseball) April 13, 2025
What was left of the crowd cheered in equal parts celebration of the victory and elation in the ending of one of the grittiest games of the season.
“That was pretty awesome,” Sac State head coach Reggie Christiansen said. “It’s good for him, he’s a senior. He’s been working hard and it’s good to have him back.”
The Hornets recorded nine strikeouts on the day, while leaving nine runners on the base paths. Masciangelo himself went 1-4 with two strikeouts before his game-winning at bat.
“It was exciting. I had to make some adjustments throughout the night,” Masciangelo said. “I was able to come up in a big situation and just put together a good at bat. And it was good to get a win for the team.”
Since going down with the hand injury, Masciangelo has worked tirelessly to get himself back in the lineup.
“It felt really good to get up there,” Masciangelo said. “Especially since we didn’t have a great offensive night. To be able to come out with a hard-fought win and help the pitchers out felt really good.”
Sunday: Seattle 2, Sac State 1
Sac State had the opportunity to secure a series sweep against a WAC rival, but came up just two runs short in the lowest-scoring game of the series.
The high noon game saw a pitchers’ duel coming down to the wire, as junior starter Ethan Lay faced off against the Redhawks’ two-way player Ishikawa.
Both pitchers lived up to the match-up, throwing an equal six innings and six strikeouts each.
The first run of the game didn’t arrive until the sixth inning. After a White triple to the right field corner, Masciangelo hit him home with an RBI single for a 1-0 lead.
Like both previous games, the Redhawks were inspired to respond, putting together their first and only scoring inning of their afternoon at the plate.
In the seventh, Seattle strung together a 2-out rally on a single, followed by a go-ahead 2-run home run by redshirt senior outfielder Travell Johnson, that narrowly cleared the left field wall for a 2-1 lead.
The 1-run Redhawks lead would be enough to earn the win, spoiling the Hornet’s opportunity at a series sweep.
Sac State will travel to UC Davis for their second game of the season against their Causeway rivals on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.
