Sacramento State baseball looked to rebound in its series against UC Berkeley after a ninth-inning walkoff loss to the University of the Pacific on Tuesday night. Despite the effort, the Hornets fell in all three games of the series against the Golden Bears.

Feb. 27: Cal 5, Sac State 4

Sac State and Cal traded blows back and forth in the first three innings as the game was in a defensive deadlock. 

“I thought our guys played hard tonight. We had opportunities,” head coach Reggie Christiansen said. “I thought we really played well in all three facets of the game.” 

The Hornets’ offense exploded in the fourth inning.

Junior right fielder Erick Dessens shot a groundball to second base that scored junior left fielder Brett Ott from third, giving Sac State a one-run lead. 

With two outs now in the top of the fourth, redshirt junior infielder Jakob Poturnak reached first base off a fielding error before junior first baseman Luis Pimentel-Guerrero was hit by a pitch, giving the Hornets two men on base.

Senior shortstop Jace Jeremiah capitalized on the opportunity, sending an opposite-field bomb just over the fence in right field. The Hornets were now up 3-0. 

“He [Jeremiah] just did a really good job getting on top of that pitch,” Christiansen said. “I thought he looked really good tonight.”

The Hornets’ ace, senior pitcher Ethan Lay, had a fantastic four innings of work before the things came tumbling down. 

In the bottom of the fifth, Lay gave up a solo home run to junior Golden Bear catcher Hideki Prather. In the next inning, Lay allowed another homer, this time a solo shot from Golden Bears’ graduate designated hitter Daniel Murillo, followed by a double and two fielder’s choices that scored the runner from second. 

The Hornets were now up just 4-3 and this rough stretch brought an end to Lay’s night.

“[Cal] became more selective as the game went on,” Lay said. “Getting pitches up in the zone that they could do more damage with. I didn’t have my best stuff tonight and they took advantage in later innings as I got tired.”

Junior pitcher Kurt Marton took over and delivered a perfect seventh inning before giving up a solo shot of his own to senior Golden Bears third baseman Cade Campbell in the eighth.

The game was now tied 4-4 and felt eerily similar to Tuesday’s game against the Tigers. 

Sac State’s bats fell silent again in the top of the ninth and sophomore Golden Bears left fielder Jordy Lopez cranked an inside pitch over the right field wall, giving Cal a 5-4 win.

This marked the second ninth-inning walk-off against the Hornets this week.

“We had the opportunities to increase the lead, and we didn’t,” Christiansen said. “So from an offensive standpoint, we need to be able to put teams away.”

Feb. 28: Cal 8, Sac State 2

Sac State went down early in their second matchup of the series, as starting freshman pitcher Trevor Wilson only threw 33 pitches in the opening inning while allowing two runs.

The Hornets’ offense came alive in the second inning. With men on base, senior designated hitter Ryan Ellis and Pimentel-Guerrero both singled and drove in a run, tying the game at 2-2.

Regardless of the Hornets’ slight comeback, the game unraveled even further as the Hornets were unable to continue their momentum.

“I think keeping the foot on the pedal has been a thing we haven’t done a great job of lately,” Ellis said. “So when we’re getting some momentum, we need to keep it going throughout the rest of the game.”

These early runs were compounded throughout the game as Cal’s offense exploded. The Golden Bears scored six unanswered runs as the Hornets went through seven different pitchers. 

The best chance for the Hornets to get back into the game came in the seventh inning after Pimentel-Guerrero walked and Dessens singled, bringing the tying run to the plate in Poturnak. 

Poturnak worked his opportunity into a full count only to fall victim to a strikeout.

The Hornets finished the game with ten runners left on base, scoring just the two runs from the second inning. 

“It’s just a matter of time until everything just clicks,” Pimentel-Guerrero said. “I can feel it. We’re that close. I’m confident in our guys and they’re gonna come through in the future. 

March 1: Cal 3, Sac State 2

The third game of the series saw Sac State jump out to an early lead in Berkeley as freshman center fielder Sam Harry singled in the second inning and was driven in by a double from Jeremiah. 

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Sophomore pitcher Carson Timothy got the nod for the Hornets and held down the fort, pitching three innings of no-hit ball. 

“I thought we pitched really well today, I thought Carson was really good,” Christiansen said.

Yet again, the Hornets were unable to continue their momentum as back-to-back doubles from the Golden Bears tied the game in the fourth inning. 

Cal kept pushing. After a single in the fifth and a fielding error from junior second baseman Cameron Sewell, the Golden Bears had runners on first and third with no one out, ending Timothy’s night. 

Junior pitcher Sean Carey entered in a precarious position. He struck out the first batter, then gave up a single and a fielder’s choice, giving the Golden Bears a two-run lead.

Sac State was down yet again, but their best chance to rally came in the top of the eighth inning off a walk from sophomore left fielder Orlando Cobarrubias and a single from Pimentel-Guerrero.

The Hornets had runners on first and second with two outs for Poturnak, who smacked a single that dropped just into center field, giving them their second run of the game. 

Harry came to the plate next with the tying runner on third base, only to ground out into a fielder’s choice, ending the inning.

The Hornets’ best chances for a comeback had come and gone.

In their final gasp, Sac State grounded into a double play and struck out for their last out in the ninth inning, ending the game.

“There is no issue in them [Sac State team] playing hard and competing,” Christiansen said. “They could have easily showed up today after the first two days and kinda cashed it in, but that is not who they are. I am super proud of their effort, we just have to find a way to play better.”

Sac State looks to rebound on the road on Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Fresno State.