Sacramento State 5, Arizona State 4
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Sacramento State won its first NCAA Tournament game thanks to a three-run eighth inning that broke a 2-2 tie.
A wild ninth inning saw RJ Ybarra knock a towering pinch hit, two-run home run to cut the lead to 5-4. Perennial college baseball postseason program Arizona State then put the tying and go-ahead runs on base, but the Hornets cut down the tying run trying to score from third on a chopper to first base.
With closer Sutter McLoughlin unavailable, Alex Palsha stayed the course and struck out dangerous hitter Trever Allen with a high curveball to end the game.
A booted potential double play ball propelled Sacramento State’s three-run inning, putting two men in scoring position with no outs. David Del Grande put the Hornets ahead with an RBI single through the left side. Dane Fujinaka singled home another run and a bases loaded walk to Nathan Lukes later in the inning made it 5-2.
Lukes also had a two-run double that opened the scoring in the fifth inning, but Arizona State responded with a pair of runs in the next half inning on a Dalton Dinatale bases loaded bloop single.
Sacramento State Post-Game Presser:
Arizona State Post-Game Presser:
Pepperdine 2, Cal Poly 1
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — For the second year in a row, a mistake on a routine flyball cost Cal Poly in the Regional winner’s bracket.
An outfield collision started a two-run rally that was just enough for Pepperdine to take a 2-1 victory over Cal Poly Saturday night.
The Mustangs (46-10) held a 1-0 lead after Mark Mathias hit a deep fly to right field to score Chris Hoo in the second inning. But in the seventh inning, Aaron Barnett’s routine flyball to left-centerfield resulted in a triple when Jordan Ellis and Zack Zehner collided and the ball bounced off Ellis’ glove toward the warning track.
Hutton Moyer followed with a double off the right field wall to drive in pinch runner Jeremy Goldenetz. Moyer came in to score the winning run two batters later when John Schuknecht couldn’t make an over-the-shoulder grab on Manny Jefferson’s two-out flare behind first base.
Aaron Brown picked up his 12th win of the season, allowing three hits and an unearned run in eight innings. Casey Bloomquist took the tough-luck loss despite giving up just one earned run in a complete game effort.
Moyer finished the game 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI for Pepperdine while Brian Mundell had two of Cal Poly’s three hits.
Pepperdine Post-Game Presser:
Cal Poly Post-Game Presser:
