SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento State baseball team's power was on full display once again Friday night as freshman JP Smith's three-run home run in the eighth — one of four round-trippers on the night for the Hornets — snapped a 4-4 tie and helped lift his team to a 7-5 victory and a series win over Utah Valley at John Smith Field.
The win was the third straight — and the fourth in the last five — for Sacramento State, which improved to 16-14 overall and 5-6 in Western Athletic Conference play. It is the Hornets third series victory of the season and its first since taking both games against St. Thomas back on Feb. 25.
Despite out-hitting their opponent by a 9-7 count, the Wolverines fell to 15-14 overall and 3-6 in conference play.
Sacramento State now has 44 home runs as a team on the year, with 18 of those coming in the last five games. The Hornets have failed to hit a home run in only eight of their 30 games thus far this season and have hit multiple home runs nine times.
Utah Valley jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with one in the first and two in the second before Sacramento State was able to break into the scoring column. Standing without a hit into the fourth, freshman Wehiwa Aloy quickly changed the team's fortunes as he slugged his ninth home run of the season — reaching the top of the parking structure in left field for the second straight contest — to break up both the no-hitter and the shutout.
The Wolverines got the run back in the fourth to make it a 4-1 game, but the Hornet bats were far from through. Aloy reached on a chopper up the middle with one out and scored on the very next pitch as Jorge Bojorquez launched his fourth home run of the season over the wall in left to make it a one-run game in the sixth.
A strikeout followed for the second out, but Cesar Valero wasted little time in tying the game all by himself as his fourth home run of the season cleared the wall in left, knotting things up at four apiece.
Max Pettey (2-0) entered in relief and quieted the Wolverine bats, retiring the first seven batters he faced and kept the game tied until the eighth when Smith put Sacramento State ahead for good. An error and a hit batter brought the freshman to the plate with nobody out and Smith worked the count full before launching his seventh home run of the season over the wall in left for a 7-4 lead the Hornets would not relinquish.
After rallying for five in the ninth in the series opener on Thursday, Utah Valley would get a run closer in the ninth on Friday, but that would be it as Pettey got a fly ball to left to end the game and ice the victory.
Pettey threw the final three innings in relief, finishing the night with a career-high six strikeouts (two in each inning) while allowing just the lone run on two hits.
Aloy collected his 16th multi-hit game of the season and scored three times, while five other teammates finished with hits.
The series concludes on Saturday morning (April 8) at 11 a.m. at John Smith Field. Please note the time change from the previously scheduled Noon first pitch.
