ROHNERT PARK, CALIF. - On Sunday, April 14th, the Sonoma State baseball team picked up another series split with Cal State LA after taking the finale 7-6. The Golden Eagles would rally from five runs down to tie the game in the 5th but
Daniel Monti would single to left field to score the go-ahead run. Senior
Nik Kamages would make his second appearance of the series and shut the door to pick up his 4th save of the season, allowing the Seawolves to remain in the postseason hunt with three series remaining.
GAME ONE SSU 2-5 CSULA
The bats took a while to wake up in game one of Sunday's doubleheader as the Seawolves went down 5-0 and were held to just 4 hits on the day. A 2-run homer from
Joey Loveless would make things interesting in the 9th inning but the rally would end there as Cal State LA got the next two batters out to seal the 5-2 victory.
Freshman
Luke Ivanoff continues to gain valuable experience on the mound as he made his 7th start of the season. He grinded through three innings of work allowing 4 hits and 4 earned runs. He would make way for lefty
Michael Panichi who went on to have a career outing, hurling six scoreless innings, not allowing a single hit and walking just one batter. Panichi's stellar relief outing kept the Seawolves in the game but the Golden Eagles starter went 8 innings allowing just three hits to pick up the win.
The series finale would come down to Sonoma State's ace in
Tanner Fonoti and stand as a must win game to keep their playoff hopes alive.
GAME TWO SSU 7-6 CSULA
The Napa Valley transfer made his 9th start of the season and was solid through the first three innings but ran into some trouble in the 5th. Fonoti would give up an RBI double and then walk the next batter to put two runners on before departing for fellow right hander
Marcellus Henry.
After a bunt single to load the bases, Henry would induce a crucial 6-4-3 double play and allow just one run to come home. The next batter would double though to plate another run as Cal State LA would come back down 5-0 to tie the game heading into the bottom half of the 5th inning.
The Seawolves wasted no time responding as they got the first two batters on base and then a sac bunt from
Aryonis Harrison would set the table for shortstop
Daniel Monti. Monti would rifle a single to left field and score
Kenny Decelle from third to retake a 6-5 lead.
Mark Hernandez would follow with a sac fly to left allowing
Christopher Wright to hustle home and give SSU a 7-5 lead.
The Golden Eagles would take advantage of an error in the 6th to get one back but senior
Nik Kamages would finish the 6th and come out for the 7th for his second appearance of the series seeking his 4th save of the season.
After retiring the first two batters, the Golden Eagles would catch some breaks with a pair of infield singles with the tying run now on second base. LA would send a pinch hitter to the plate and after going down 0-2 in the count, the batter would send a soft liner bound for the right field line but
Mark Hernandez would leap for the acrobatic catch for the third out and seal the 7-6 win. Hernandez erupted with excitement in front of SSU's bench as they grabbed a massive win for the series split, keeping their postseason hopes alive.
Kenny Decelle and
Mark Hernandez combined for 4 hits in the game and Hernandez had a team high 3 RBI's.
Nik Kamages was clutch again out of the bullpen for the Seawolves, finishing the weekend with 5.1 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, a win and a save in his two appearances.
Sonoma State remains a game back from Cal State La for the 6th spot in the conference standings. They are battling with Cal State Dominguez Hills who are just a half game ahead of the Seawolves in the 7th spot.
LOOKING AHEAD
Sonoma State improves to 18-20 overall and 12-16 in conference play after their series split with Cal State LA. They will head back down south next week to take on Cal State Dominguez Hills for another crucial conference series with the Toros. Game one of the series is slated for Friday, April 19th at 3:00 PM. Live stats and stream links can be found at sonomaseawolves.com and you can stream the game LIVE on the CCAA Network.
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