Confusion, chaos and loss: Hornets can’t hold on against the Bulldogs

As the stadium lights shined upon John Smith Field on Tuesday night, Sacramento State found themselves down one run with one out to go in the bottom of the ninth inning and a man on second base for sophomore shortstop Michael Perazzo.

Perazzo stepped up to the plate, waiting for his pitch in a 1-1 count. He swung hellaciously at a pitch that was up and away, smacking it towards the middle of the infield.

The ball took one hop and looked like it was going to get past the infield, only for Bulldog freshman shortstop Brady Hewitt to dive, get up and fire the ball to first base. His throw beat Perazzo by a footstep to end the game.

“You know, there are days you feel like when the top [of the order] doesn’t get it done, it’s hard to score runs and you can’t count on those guys every night,” head coach Reggie Christiansen said. “I mean, baseball is hard. But we had our chances in the eighth and ninth, so I give our guys credit for continuing to fight through it.”

Hornets junior starting pitcher Konner Entz opened up the first three innings for Sac State, controlling the early momentum as the Hornets were unable to get a hit in the first three innings.

Entz allowed just two hits in his three innings while striking out three Bulldogs and allowing no runs.

“I’m here for a reason: to get them out and challenge them with my best stuff. If they hit it, they hit it,” Entz said. “So what? I’m onto the
next guy.”

Senior designated hitter Ryan Ellis pulled through in the bottom of the fourth after junior pitcher Sean Carey took over for Entz and got a 1-2-3 inning.

Ellis rocked a double down the right-field line, setting up Sac State’s slugger, junior right fielder Erick Dessens. Dessens hit a single through the right side of the infield to bring Ellis home and give the Hornets the first run of the game.

“I was just trying to find a good pitch to hit and do my job,” Dessens said. 

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Confusion entered the ballpark in the bottom of the fifth inning as junior second baseman Cameron Sewell jumped a batter in the order. Fresno State head coach Ryan Overland did not call out the infraction until the bottom of the sixth inning after Ellis walked.

What followed was a roughly 17-minute delay as the umpires tried to sort out the debacle.

“I mean Hadley was supposed to hit in that inning to lead off,” Christiansen said. “And for some reason, Cam went up and hit. So Cam hit out of order, not exactly sure what he was thinking, but he went and hit. So that’s what happened. I think everybody knew it, but the rule is you’re supposed to call it right away.”

Since the infraction was not called right away, no out was awarded in the Bulldogs’ favor.

Fresno’s fortune changed in the seventh, however, as their offense took over in junior pitcher Kurt Marton’s second inning.

A Bulldog walk was scored on a double into the left-field corner to tie the game. With the go-ahead run now on second base, a hard-hit line drive got through redshirt junior third baseman Jakob Poturnak and rolled into the left-field corner once again.

The Bulldogs held onto the 2-1 lead, despite the Hornets having a chance to tie the game with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth. 

This loss marked the eighth 1-run loss for the Hornets on the season, while freshman center fielder Sam Harry extended his hitting streak to 13 games.

“I think the good thing is we’re in them [games],” Christiansen said. “So let’s start there. It would be more demoralizing, I think, if we were just not in these games. But if you look at it, I think we’re 3-12, or something like that, in the games decided by two runs or less. So the positive is we’re in them.”

The 13-21 Hornets look to bounce back in their second WAC series of the season at home against Utah Valley University on Friday at 10 a.m.