Friday, February 21
Sacramento, Calif.
5 PM ET / 2 PM PT
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Photo by: Sacramento State Athletics
Baseball Falls in Doubleheader at Sacramento State
February 21, 2025 | Baseball
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Ball State baseball team fell in two tight games of a doubleheader to Sacramento State on Friday at John Smith Field.
The Cardinals (3-3) led for the majority of the opener before Sacramento State (4-3) hit a walkoff two-run home run in the ninth inning for a 6-5 win. The Hornets clinched the doubleheader sweep with a 2-0 decision in the nightcap.
"Two close games where they executed a bit better than us," Ball State head coach Rich Maloney said.
Game 1: Sacramento State 6, Ball State 5
Clay Jacobs got the scoring going with an RBI grounder in the second frame before hitting a two-run single to left field in the fourth to put the visitors ahead 3-0. Gavin Balius extended the advantage to 4-0 with an RBI infield single in the fourth.
Sacramento State got on the board with a run-scoring groundout in the sixth inning. Ball State responded by plating a run in the top of the seventh on a double play. The Hornets put up three runs in the bottom half of the frame on two bases loaded walks and a passed ball.
Ryan Christiansen hit the walkoff home run to right center field after the first batter of the inning singled.
Balius went 4-for-4 with three steals for the game, while Ball State starting pitcher Keegan Johnson struck out seven in 6.1 innings of three-run ball in the no decision.
Noah Lucchesi (2-0) got the win after tossing a scoreless ninth inning for the hosts, while Drue Young (0-2) suffered the loss.
Game 2: Sacramento State 2, Ball State 0
The Hornets got single tallies in the third inning on an RBI grounder and the fourth on a run-scoring double, and that was all they would need as the duo of Evan Gibbons and Kade Brown limited the Cardinals to no runs and three hits.
Balius tacked on another hit and stolen base for five and four of those on the day, respectively.
Jacob Hartlaub (5.0 innings, two runs, nine strikeouts) and Owen Quinn (3.0 innings, no runs, five strikeouts) were effective on the mound, but Hartlaub (1-1) suffered the loss. The right-hander has allowed only three hits and struck out 17 in 10.2 innings of work through two starts this year.
Gibbons (1-1) struck out eight in 6.0 frames while the preseason All-America selection Brown earned his third save of the season with four strikeouts in 3.0 innings.
Up Next
The Cardinals and Hornets are set to play the series finale at 5 p.m. ET (2 PT) on Saturday.
The Cardinals (3-3) led for the majority of the opener before Sacramento State (4-3) hit a walkoff two-run home run in the ninth inning for a 6-5 win. The Hornets clinched the doubleheader sweep with a 2-0 decision in the nightcap.
"Two close games where they executed a bit better than us," Ball State head coach Rich Maloney said.
Game 1: Sacramento State 6, Ball State 5
Clay Jacobs got the scoring going with an RBI grounder in the second frame before hitting a two-run single to left field in the fourth to put the visitors ahead 3-0. Gavin Balius extended the advantage to 4-0 with an RBI infield single in the fourth.
Sacramento State got on the board with a run-scoring groundout in the sixth inning. Ball State responded by plating a run in the top of the seventh on a double play. The Hornets put up three runs in the bottom half of the frame on two bases loaded walks and a passed ball.
Ryan Christiansen hit the walkoff home run to right center field after the first batter of the inning singled.
Balius went 4-for-4 with three steals for the game, while Ball State starting pitcher Keegan Johnson struck out seven in 6.1 innings of three-run ball in the no decision.
Noah Lucchesi (2-0) got the win after tossing a scoreless ninth inning for the hosts, while Drue Young (0-2) suffered the loss.
Game 2: Sacramento State 2, Ball State 0
The Hornets got single tallies in the third inning on an RBI grounder and the fourth on a run-scoring double, and that was all they would need as the duo of Evan Gibbons and Kade Brown limited the Cardinals to no runs and three hits.
Balius tacked on another hit and stolen base for five and four of those on the day, respectively.
Jacob Hartlaub (5.0 innings, two runs, nine strikeouts) and Owen Quinn (3.0 innings, no runs, five strikeouts) were effective on the mound, but Hartlaub (1-1) suffered the loss. The right-hander has allowed only three hits and struck out 17 in 10.2 innings of work through two starts this year.
Gibbons (1-1) struck out eight in 6.0 frames while the preseason All-America selection Brown earned his third save of the season with four strikeouts in 3.0 innings.
Up Next
The Cardinals and Hornets are set to play the series finale at 5 p.m. ET (2 PT) on Saturday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lucchesi, Noah (2-0)
L: Young, Drue (0-2)
Batting:
RBI: Jacobs, Clay 3 ; Balius, Gavin 1
SH: Arnold, Garrett 1 ; Jacobs, Clay 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Grego, Dylan 1 ; Griffin, Korbin 1 ; Husovsky, Nick 2 ; Jacobs, Clay 1
SB: Grego, Dylan 1 ; Jacobs, Clay 2 ; Balius, Gavin 3
CS: Grego, Dylan 1
HBP: Husovsky, Nick 1 ; Arnold, Garrett 1
PO: Grego, Dylan 1
Batting:
2B: Walton, Myles 1
HR: Christiansen, Ryan 1
RBI: Christiansen, Ryan 3 ; Smith, JP 1 ; Kligman, Elie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: White, Tyler 2 ; Christiansen, Ryan 2 ; Pimentel-Guerrero, L 1 ; Perazzo, Michael 1
HBP: Smith, JP 1 ; Pimentel-Guerrero, L 1 ; Cortez, Jacob 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
4
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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