TURLOCK — The Stanislaus State baseball team is off to its best start in more than a decade as the Warriors won twice on a soggy Sunday to extend their current winning streak to nine games with a sweep of Simpson.
Ethan Utler provided the big blast — a grand slam in the seventh inning in game one to lift Stan State over Simpson, 6-3. In the second game,
Cody Kruip got plently of run support early in his spot-start in a rain-shortened, 6-0, win as the Warriors completed the three-game sweep.
The Warriors improved to 10-1, which is the program's best start since 2006 when that team started 14-2. Two teams since then — in 2009 and 2011 — had began 9-1. The nine-game winning streak is also the longest since it happened in 2009. The 2006 team had a 11-game winning streak.
For a while in Sunday's early start (10 a.m.), the Redhawks (1-11) had the upper hand. While starting pitcher Zane Medeiros was dealing, the Warriors' defense (four errors in the first three innings) and offense (one hit through five innings) struggled. Trailing 2-0,
Adam Nascimento finally got the Warriors on the board with a solo shot to left in the sixth inning.
Medeiros was cruising with quick innings and low pitch counts in the first six innings, but the Warriors finally got to him in the seventh. Stan State put up five runs — four of them came on the Utler grand slam to left — to take-over the game.
Meanwhile, starter
Stewart Alexander turned in another great outing. This time he threw six innings and gave up two unearned runs on five hits with five strikeouts to earn his second win.
In game two, the Warriors quickly scored four runs in the first inning for an early lead.
Kert Woods doubled in a run and
Austin Fitzpatrick's single through the left side netted two more runs to make it 4-0.
Kyle Nixon, who went 3-for-3, slugged a two-run bomb in the second inning to make it 6-0. Nixon also doubled in the first inning and scored on the Woods hit.
Once the Warriors' started hitting, they tallied 10 extra base hits with six doubles, a triple and three homers on the day.
On the mound, Kruip got the start and he threw well. The southpaw struck out six and gave up just an infield hit in five innings to earn the victory.
In the series, Warrior pitchers gave up just three earned runs in 24 innings (1.12) ERA with 20 strikeouts.
Next week, Stan State begins CCAA play against Chico State, the 37th ranked team in the preseason. The first two games will be in Chico (Friday and Saturday) before the series shifts to Turlock for the first two in the form a doubleheader on Sunday, Feb. 26.
