OREM, Utah – On a Saturday afternoon with clouds shading the blue skies above Provo Canyon and Mount Timpanogos, the Sacramento State University Hornets beat the Utah Valley University Wolverines 12-2 in a seven-inning mercy rule victory at UCCU Ballpark in the second game of their Western Athletic Conference series.
Sacramento State improved to 29-22 overall and 13-7 in WAC play. Utah Valley fell to 28-23 and 13-10 under first-year head coach Nate Rasmussen.
Hornets right-hander Ethan Lay threw six innings, allowing seven hits, two earned runs, one walk and eight strikeouts on 99 pitches to earn the win and improve to 5-2 on the season.
“He threw all of his pitches for strikes and was able to locate in some tough spots,” said UVU right fielder Luke Iverson. “Offensively, we stuck to our plan — he just beat us today. That’s baseball.”
UVU starter Colton Kennedy lasted just three innings, giving up six earned runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out three.
The Hornets wasted no time getting on the board. First baseman JP Smith crushed a two-run homer over the left-center wall in the top of the first inning, scoring center fielder Tyler White. Utah Valley answered quickly in the bottom half with a solo home run down the left field line from second baseman Landon Frei, cutting the lead to 2-1.
“Losing today wasn’t ideal,” Frei said, “but I think we’re ready to bounce back tomorrow. We’ll come with a good mindset and let it fly.”
Sacramento State added three runs in the second inning. Michael Perazzo singled to center to drive in Matt Masciangelo, White knocked an RBI single through the right side to score Nikhil Beasley, and Jakob Poturnak lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Perazzo.
The Wolverines got one back in the bottom half when Nate Bach launched a solo homer to left, but the Hornets offense continued to apply pressure.
White picked up his third RBI in the fourth with an opposite-field single down the right field line, scoring Perazzo to make it 6-2. In the fifth, Sacramento State blew the game open with four more runs. Perazzo collected his third RBI of the game, White drove in another with a fielder’s choice, Luis Pimentel-Guerrero added an RBI single, and Poturnak made it 10-2 with a base hit to right.
“He hit his spots today,” Frei said of Lay. “Just a great performance from him to shut down our lineup. That’s not an easy thing to do.”
The Hornets tacked on two more runs to close it out. Perazzo dropped a perfectly placed bunt single down the first base line to score Christiansen in the sixth. In the seventh, Pimentel-Guerrero doubled to left-center and scored on Smith’s sacrifice fly to left to seal the 10-run margin and invoke the mercy rule.
Perazzo finished 4-for-4 with three RBI and two runs. White went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two stolen bases. Smith added two hits and three RBI. Sacramento State racked up 16 hits.
UVU struck out 11 times and left seven runners on base. Mason Strong led the team with two hits. Frei and Bach provided the only scoring with their early solo home runs.
“We just gotta come out and want it more than the other team,” said center fielder Jayden Smith, looking ahead to Sunday’s finale. “Have a good warm-up, stick to our routines, and be ready to go.”
Smith entered the weekend batting .421 and ranked No. 11 nationally, according to the NCAA website.
“I’m just gonna consistently stick with my routine and not ride the roller coaster of results,” Smith said. “Just keep going every day.”
All three players spoke highly of Rasmussen, who took over the program this fall.
“He brings out the best version of ourselves,” Iverson said. “We’re each pretty unique, and he lets us play to our strengths.”
“Razz is awesome,” Smith added. “I couldn’t ask for a better guy to lead us. He really holds us accountable on a daily basis.”
Frei, a transfer who joined the team this season, said Rasmussen’s approach stood out from the start. “When I was in the portal, he was just a young guy I related to. He had hitting philosophies I loved.”
Smith’s impact has not gone unnoticed in the clubhouse.
“That kid shows up every day and puts the work in,” Frei said. “He’s been hot all year and he’ll carry us through the tournament for sure.”
“He’s one of my best buddies,” Iverson said. “He’s kind of a Luis Suárez–Jacob Wilson comp. Puts the ball in play and does a great job getting on base.”
Utah Valley, which made its only NCAA Tournament appearance in 2016, also won the WAC Tournament that season. The Wolverines previously claimed Great West titles in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Sacramento State head coach Reggie Christiansen is in his 15th year leading the Hornets. The program has appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2014, 2017, and 2019, winning both the WAC Tournament and regular season title in 2014.
The 2025 WAC Tournament will be held May 20-24 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona. NCAA Tournament selections will be announced Monday, May 26 at 12 p.m. EDT on ESPNU.
Utah Valley will close its regular season home slate on Sunday, May 11, with Senior Day at UCCU Ballpark. First pitch against Sacramento State is set for 3:05 p.m. EDT.
