TURLOCK — Aldo Koutsoyanopulos drew four balls with the bases loaded as Stanislaus State wins in walk-off fashion — with a walk — as the Warriors defeated Lewis-Clark State, 6-5, in a thrilling finish at Warrior Baseball Field Tuesday night.

As one of many reserve players getting an opportunity to shine in the final game of a six-game, five-day homestand, Gino Franceschetti drove in two runs in the ninth to tie the game to help Stan State improve to 15-12 on the season.

Franceschetti went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs and Scott Stetson found his hitting form again going 3-for-3 and scored three times as the first two batters in the line-up combined to account for six of the team's nine hits.



Lewis-Clark State (24-4), the defending (and 17-time) NAIA National Champion, had scored three times in the top of the seventh to take a 5-2 lead on a two-run single by Robert Smith. Smith drove in four of the LCSC's runs on the night.

Stanislaus, though, got a run back in the eighth on a long Franceschetti double over the head of centerfielder Jacob Zanon that plated Stetson.

Lewis-Clark then sent in David Wilson to close the game in the ninth, but Wilson got into trouble right away. Phillip Clark and Nick Ippolito started the rally with singles up the middle. Then as Stetson tried to advance the runners with a bunt, Wilson elected, and failed, to try and get the lead-runner out at third to load the bases.

That set-up Franceschetti's at-bat. On a full count, he slapped a bouncer past a diving LCSC third baseman to score two runs to tie the game. Charlie Gaff then move two runners into scoring position with a sac bunt to force Lewis-Clark to intentionally walk Garrett Serino to set-up a force play at home.

After Wilson struckout pinch-hitter Nathan Chunn for the second out, Koutsoyanopulos worked the count 3-1 before drawing a slider away for the walk-off walk.

Going deep into the bullpen, head coach Kenny Leonesio got a decent outing from Colby DeVries in the starting role. In five innings, DeVries gave up just one earned run on four hits and kept the game close against the NAIA powerhouse. Travis Johnston, Stanislaus' fourth pitcher, earned the win as he threw a scoreless top of the ninth.

Stan State will trek down to La Jolla for a three-game series against UC San Diego starting on Saturday with a pair of games starting at 2 p.m.