RENO, Nev. -- In a back-and-forth game that featured five lead changes, neither Sacramento State nor Nevada looked like they wanted to hang on to the lead for too long. However, once the Hornets grabbed it for the final time on Tuesday night, they never let go, handing the Wolf Pack a 12-8 defeat in a non-conference midweek clash at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park.
Sacramento State, which posted its 12th come-from-behind victory of the year, sweeps the two-game midweek series from Nevada, improving to 21-20 overall on the year. The Hornets, who improved to 8-2 in midweek games this season, including a 4-1 mark on the road, handed the Wolf Pack a 9-4 defeat at John Smith Field back on March 2.
Led by a pair of players with three hits, Nevada fell to 16-22 overall.
Senior Martin Vincelli-Simard finished 3-for-4 with a run scored, a pair of doubles, and two RBI, while junior Garet Crenshaw and sophomore Jeffery Heard chipped in with a pair of hits as Sacramento State collected 11 on the night — five of those going for extra bases. Seven different Hornets also drove in runs as they reached double-digits in that column for the ninth time this year.
Freshman Xavier Richards (1-0), the Reno native making his homecoming on Tuesday night, picked up his first collegiate win against his hometown team, taking over in the fifth with his team down a run and allowing just one hit and striking out one over two innings of work as Sacramento State made its comeback.
Trailing 8-7 entering the sixth, the Hornets loaded the bases thanks to a pair of hit batters and an error on a fielder's choice. Nevada traded a run for two outs as freshman JP Smith hit into a double play that allowed Jorge Bojorquez to score to tie the game and Jacob Cortez's ground ball was misplayed on the infield, allowing Wehiwa Aloy to score from third to give Sacramento State the lead for good.
The Hornets tacked on two more runs for some breathing room in the seventh as Josh Rolling, who went all the way to third when his fly ball was dropped in the outfield, scored on a wild pitch to make it a two-run game and Vincelli-Simard scored Aloy all the way from first on a double after the freshman walked with two outs for the 11-8 lead.
Crenshaw capped the scoring in the eighth as Cortez reached on an error, moved to second on a wild pitch, went to third on a fly ball, and scored on Crenshaw's fly out to left field for the final 12-8 advantage.
Meanwhile, the Sacramento State bullpen was stingy as Richards was joined by three relievers to shut out the Wolf Pack from the fifth inning on, allowing just four hits and walking one while striking out a pair to close the night.
Smith's RBI double in the first put the Hornets on the board first, but Nevada wasted little time in turning the tide, taking advantage of a pair of Sacramento State errors to plate five runs on three hits and take a 5-1 lead.
Rolling's RBI double, Heard's RBI single, and a run-scoring groundout was the answer by the Hornets in the second, closing to within a run, and they regained the lead with three more in the fourth as Aloy and Vincelli-Simard added RBI doubles and Sacramento State scored a third on a wild pitch for a 7-5 lead.
The Wolf Pack wasn't done, however, scoring three times themselves in the fourth on an RBI single and a two-run double to take an 8-7 lead, setting the stage for the Hornets' final rally.
Vincelli-Simard's two RBI give him 130 for his career, moving him into sole possession of seventh on the school's all-time list, standing just five shy of Will Fitzpatrick (1990-93) for sixth. Meanwhile, Aloy and Smith each extended their respective hitting streaks to seven straight games, while Heard collected a hit for the sixth consecutive contest.
Sacramento State rejoins Western Athletic Conference play this weekend, traveling to Las Cruces, N.M., to open a three-game series at New Mexico State on Friday (April 28) at 5 p.m. PT. Game two is scheduled for Saturday (April 29) at 1 p.m. PT, with Sunday's (April 30) slated for an 11 a.m. PT start.
