OAKLAND, Calif. -- Hayden Cronenbold singled home
Joseph Marquez, capping a three-run top of the ninth inning to give the Sonoma State baseball team a 5-4 lead, but host Holy Names plated a run in its half of the ninth, then scored the game-winner on a suicide squeeze bunt with a runner on third base in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Hawks a 6-5 victory over the Seawolves in non-conference action on Tuesday night at Laney College in Oakland.
With the loss, Sonoma drops to 3-3 this season while Holy Names of the Pacific West Conference improves to 8-4.
The Seawolves drew first blood in the second inning when
Brandon Baranzini doubled to lead off the frame before coming around to score on a groundout, then a passed ball. However the Hawks scored four unanswered runs over their next three at bats to lead 4-1.
It wasn't until the top of the eighth when the SSU bats showed some life, loading the bases for
Eric Ehlow, who hit an RBI two-out single that would have been a two-run hit, but Cronenbold was thrown out at the plate on his attempt to score from second base which ended the inning. In their next at bat in the top of the ninth, the Seawolves got RBI's from Marquez and
Jourdan Weiks before Cronenbold's redemption, an RBI single up the middle to score Marquez for the 5-4 lead.
Holy Names responded with a run of its own, and without the virtue of a base hit. The leadoff hitter of the inning, Gnos walked before being replaced by Loughlin as a pinch runner. Loughlin moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on a fly out to right field, then scored on a wild pitch by
Ryan Luna to knot the game at 5-5. SSU went down in order in the top of the 10th before a single, a walk, a sacrifice bunt and the game-winning suicide squeeze ended the game in favor of HNU.
In all, 28 Sonoma State players saw action on Tuesday night including nine different pitchers, whereas 16 Holy Names players made an appearance, four being pitchers. Both teams had nine hits apiece -- all nine SSU hits came from nine different batters. For Holy Names, Benjamin Gamba went 3 for 4 to lead the hosts.
Sonoma State will now head south to Cal State L.A. for a CCAA-opening four-game series beginning Friday. First pitch is set for 6:00 pm.