BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Sophomore catcher Dylan McPhillips finished with a career-high four hits and drove in a pair of runs, while Josh Walker and Keith Torres finished with three hits apiece, but the Sacramento State offense could not out-slug host Seattle U as a late-inning rally fell short in a 16-13 loss on Saturday afternoon at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue, Wash.

The loss gave the Redhawks the Western Athletic Conference series win after the two teams split a doubleheader on Friday. The Hornets had their record evened at 10-10 overall while falling to 2-4 in league play after two weekends of conference action. Seattle U improved to 6-10 overall and 4-2 in conference play, taking its second straight series from the Hornets after winning three of four in Sacramento last year.

Sacramento State's 13 runs and 17 hits on the day were the team's second highest totals of the year behind only the 21 runs scored and 18 hits collected in a win over Houston Baptist back on March 4. The 13 runs were also the most scored in a loss since a 16-13 defeat at Tarleton on March 13, 2021.

McPhillips' four hits broke his previous career high of three tied earlier this year against Dixie State and continued his torrid play at the plate where the Gilroy, Calif., native is 13-for-22 (.591) with three doubles, a home run, six runs scored, and six RBI, in his last seven games.

Every Sacramento State starter finished with at least one hit, including three-hit days from Torres and Walker — the former tying his career high in hits while the latter setting a new career best with his three knocks on the day. The two combined to score five runs and drive in three, while Nick Iwasa scored twice and finished with two hits while reaching base three times.

The Hornets spotted the Redhawks four runs in the first on a sacrifice fly, a wild pitch, and a pair of run-scoring hits, before rallying back to take the lead with five runs over the next three innings.

Josh Rolling drove in a run with a ground ball and McPhillips plated a run with a double in the second, Dawsen Bacho scored on a balk and Walker came home on another RBI hit from McPhillips in the third, and Walker's sacrifice fly in the fourth put Sacramento State ahead for the first time, 5-4.

The advantage would be short-lived, however, as Seattle U answered with four runs in a fifth on a pair of run-scoring singles and a two-run home run, tacked on two more in the sixth on a solo home run and a sacrifice fly, and opened the floodgates with a six-run seventh that nearly invoked the run-rule despite the Hornets plating two on Jeffery Heard's two-run home run — his third of the year — in the top of the seventh.

Sacramento State was not done, however, nearly coming all the way back with a six-spot of its own in the top of the eighth. Rolling drove home a pair with a bases-loaded double to get things started, followed by a Torres two-run double to make it 16-11.

The Hornets added another thanks to an error on McPhillips' third hit of the day, and Iwasa added an RBI single with the bases loaded to make it a three-run contest, but that would be as close as Sacramento State would get.

A strikeout ended the eighth and the Hornets put two on with one out in the ninth on a single by Torres and McPhillips' fourth hit of the day, but a foul out and a strikeout ended the rally and clinched the win for the Redhawks. All told, Sacramento State left 17 runners on base for the game, 11 of those in scoring position

Noah Lucchesi (0-3) suffered the loss in relief, charged with four runs on four hits in working the decisive fifth, while Morgan White (2-1) earned the win for Seattle U, striking out seven while giving up a pair of runs on three hits over four innings of relief.

Now with a day off following Saturday's rescheduled finale to avoid the weather, Sacramento State doesn't play again until Monday (March 21) at 6 p.m., taking on Washington at Husky Ballpark in Seattle.