ROHNERT PARK, CALIF.- Sonoma State Baseball was back on the field for another two games against the visiting Nighthawks of Northwest Nazarene. The team's offense came alive across both games including a gritty, down to the wire extra inning win in the first game of the day.
Game 1: SSU 8, NNU 7
The first game of the day did not lack offense as the two teams combined for 30 total hits, seven stolen bases and 15 total runs. Six Seawolves recorded multiple hits with Max Shabestari and Gabriel Tapia leading the way with three hits apiece. Shabestari's bat had plenty of pop in it across the 11 innings of play. The Seawolves starting second baseman had two doubles and the team's lone homerun of the day. Tapia was similarly dynamic while at the plate, driving in two runs with a double of his own. Tapia also added a stolen base for good measure.
Starting catcher Chris Ortiz got the season off to a strong start earlier in the week and kept the momentum going into today's first game. Ortiz had a pair of doubles, drove in two runs and once again drew a walk. Alongside Ortiz, Garret Barto, Shane Callison and Evan Merz all had two hits and drove in two combined runs. Callison's late game bunt in the 11th inning caught the Nighthawks defense off guard and the ensuing errors led to a game winning, walk up run thanks to Aryonis Harrison's solid base running.
On the mound the Seawolve deployed multiple pitchers due to the extended innings and back and forth play. Leading the way was Noah Souza who pitched a team high 4.1 innings. Souza faced 20 batters while only conceding a single run while striking out four batters himself.
Game 2: SSU 3, NNU 7
The second matchup didn't feature the same number of hits and points but once again featured a balanced attack at the plate from the Seawolves. Max Shabestari once again had a strong outing going 2-3 at the plate with another double bringing his total to three doubles across the two games. Jacob Courtney earned his first start at catcher this year and responded well with a double and RBI to start his 2025 season.
As for the Seawolves pitchers, it was once again multiple arms up to the task. Leading the way was Jesse Moore with a game high four innings pitched. Moore was fantastic, only allowing a single hit while forcing five ground outs and also striking out three batters.
The Seawolves split the series on the day and now turn their attention to a four game series against the Warriors of Jessup. The first pair of games will be played this coming Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 11:00 AM.
