ROHNERT PARK, Calif- Eli Rimes walked with the bases loaded to bring across the tying run, then hit a two-run home run in the 11th to lead Sonoma State to a thrilling 9-7 non-conference win over San Francisco State on Tuesday afternoon. The Seawolves trailed by four runs heading into the ninth inning, but rallied to tie it before Rimes put them ahead for good in the 11th. The win pushes SSU's record to 16-5 while the Gators drop to 3-18.
Using a lineup of reserves, the Seawolves fell behind 3-0 in the first inning as the Gators were able to push across a trio of unearned runs on starter Taylor Lewis. SSU made it 3-2 in the third when Robert Walden had a sacrifice fly and Gino Lavezzo laced a run-scoring double. The teams traded runs in the fifth and sixth before SF State scored three times in the seventh to make it 7-3.
In the ninth inning, the Seawolves began infusing their lineup with regulars. After Nick Nosti singled to lead off the inning, he came around to score on the first of two Gator errors in the inning. RBI singles by Derek Harms and Chase McGuire made the score 7-6 before Eli Rimes came up with two outs and the bases loaded. Rimes worked a walk, forcing the tying run home, and sent the game to extras.
In the 11th, Leo Avila knocked a one-out single before Eli Rimes blasted his team-high sixth home run of the season for the game-winner.
In the game, Rimes pushed his batting average to .486 (17-for-35). B.J. Collom, the CCAA's leading hitter, went 1-for-2 to improve to .439. Rimes does not have enough at bats to qualify for the batting leader board.
Paige Dumont pitched the final three innings of the game to improve to 2-1 on the season.
In all, Sonoma State used 26 different players and nine different pitchers. Travis Babin, a sophomore third baseman, pitched a scoreless inning and Dumont, the winning pitcher, got the first two at-bats of his SSU career.
The Seawolves entertain Grand Canyon this weekend in a four-game series. First pitch is set for Friday at 2:00 pm.
Box Score
Box Score
