SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Junior Erick Dessens and senior Ryan Ellis both cracked three-run home runs in the first two innings and the visiting Hornets got solid pitching from the seven arms that saw time on the mound on Tuesday, helping lift Sacramento State to an 8-3 win over host San Francisco at Benedetti Diamond.
The Hornets improved to 8-13 overall on the season, collecting double-digit hits for the fourth time in their last five games. The Dons, limited to just six hits on the day, fell to 9-10 overall.
Dessens finished with two hits and homered for the third consecutive game, adding a double and a run scored. Meanwhile, Ellis slugged his first home run of the year — and the second of his career — adding a pair of runs scored and drawing a walk.
Brett Ott added two hits, a triple, two runs scored, and drove in a run atop the Sacramento State lineup, while Michael Perazzo finished with two hits, a double, and a run driven in.
Seven of the Hornets' eight runs came in the first two innings as they took advantage of a bit of wildness from San Francisco's first two pitchers of the day. Lead-off walks to Ott and Ellis brought Dessens to the plate where the junior launched a 1-2 pitch over the protective netting in right centerfield for the 3-0 lead.
A walk and a single with one out in the second gave Ott the opportunity to drive in another as his single through the right side was enough to score Jakob Poturnak from second base and make it a four-run lead. Ellis then wasted little time in tacking on three more scores, taking the second pitch he saw from reliever Braden Wellen over the wall in right center for a 7-0 lead.
It was Ellis' first home run since he left the year against Abilene Christian on March 16, 2024, while he was a member of the UT Arlington roster.
San Francisco began to claw its way back with a run in the third and two more in the fourth to get within four runs, but Michael Perazzo got one back in the fifth as Perazzo doubled home Poturnak for the final 8-3 score.
The home run extended Dessens' hitting streak to nine consecutive games — the longest by a Hornet this year — while Jace Jeremiah (eight), Jakob Poturnak (seven), and Luis Pimentel-Guerrero (six) also lengthened their own respective streaks. Jeremiah also reached base safely for the 14th consecutive game to extend his team-long streak.
Jackson Halverson (2-1) and the Hornet bullpen then went to work, holding the Dons to just one hit over five scoreless innings, striking out 10 without a walk to nail down the win. Halverson, Bryce Stockton, and Konner Entz all finished with three strikeouts in their respective innings of work.
Starter Trevor Busby (0-1) was charged with the loss, allowing three runs on one hit and walking two in his lone inning of work as the first of eight USF pitchers on the day. Of the team's six hits, Myles Kallinger accounted for three of those at the bottom of the order, finishing 3-for-3 on the day with a double and an RBI.
Sacramento State has a day off from competition on Wednesday before opening a three-game series against Winthrop out of the Big South Conference on Thursday (March 19) at 6 p.m. on Taylor Swift Night at John Smith Field. The series continues with a 6 p.m. first pitch on Friday (March 20) and a 2 p.m. start on Saturday (March 21) for the finale.
