Peter Castillo
Sports Editor
Game 1
On Thursday, April 28, the Roadrunners defeated Sacramento State 4-3. Senior pitcher Max Carter gave up three runs in six innings while striking out five. Leading 4-1 in the seventh, he was lifted after allowing a run-scoring triple. Junior pitcher Naithen Dewsnap replaced Carter and allowed another run on a sacrifice fly to make it a one-run game. Dewsnap recovered and recorded the final nine outs of the game for the save. He also struck out three. It was his ninth save of the season, which set a new school record. Trailing 1-0 entering the top of the fifth, junior Mark Pena led off the inning with a walk to start a four-run rally. Pena scored on single by senior David Metzgar. The inning was capped by a two-run single by senior Mahlik Jones. With the win, Carter improved to 7-1 on the season. Carter also finished 3 for 5 at the plate with a run batted in and a run scored. Sophomore Sergio Robles went 3 for 3 with a double and a walk.
Game 2
In the second game of the series on Saturday, April 29, the Hornets defeated the Roadrunners 11-1 in eight innings as the Western Athletic Conference 10-run mercy rule came into play. The loss snapped the Roadrunners’ five-game WAC winning streak. CSUB got on the board first with an RBI single by Jones in the top of the fourth. Sophomore pitcher Andrew Hansen held Sacramento State scoreless through three innings. However, he gave up three runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth before he was lifted for sophomore pitcher Isaiah Moten. Hansen gave up five earned runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings pitched. After an error by junior Brandon Heinrich in the bottom of the eighth, three unearned runs scored on a bases-clearing double by pinch-hitter senior Brandon Hunley. The hit gave the Hornets a 10-run lead to end the game. Jones went 2 for 3 with an RBI in the loss. Sophomore outfielder Sergio Robles reached base safely three times as he went 2 for 2 and was hit by a pitch.
Game 3
In the rubber game of the series on Sunday, April 30, the Roadrunners defeated the Hornets, 8-3 to win the series. Metzgar set two new school records in the win. His first inning single extended his hitting streak to 22 games, which broke the old record of 21 set by Mylz Jones in 2013. Metzgar also reached base safely for the 36th straight game to break the old record of 35 set by Jeremy Rodriguez in 2010. An RBI groundout by Carter and a run-scoring single by senior Ryan Grotjohn gave CSUB a 2-0 lead. Grotjohn now leads the nation in batting average with a .419 clip. The Roadrunners scored two more times in the top of the second to give them a 4-0 lead. In six innings of work, freshman pitcher Aaron Charles gave up two earned runs and struck out six. Dewsnap entered with one out in the seventh and got the last eight outs for his tenth save of the season. A three-run rally in the top of the ninth helped CSUB put the game out of reach.
