TURLOCK — One big inning at the plate and one big relief performance Tuesday earned the Stanislaus State baseball team a victory in its first official game in nearly 700 days, as the Warriors beat Academy of Art, 5-3, in the 2022 season opener at Warrior Baseball Field.
 
Both teams left runners on base in each of the first two innings but didn't score. Stanislaus State (1-0) was the first to break through in the bottom of the third, scoring five runs on four hits and two free passes (walk, hit-by pitch). The Warriors' first four batters of the inning reached safely, including an RBI single from Joseph Hauck, driving in Cole Thompson who led off the inning with a walk and stolen base.
 
A close play at third was the key for the Warriors' breakout inning. Grant Bunker laid down a sacrifice bunt with two on and no outs. Academy of Art went to third with the ball, trying to get the lead runner, but the call was safe at the bag, leaving the bases loaded with no outs. The next two Stan State batters struck out, but thanks to the safe call, instead of the inning being over, Trevor McInerney was set up with an opportunity to break the game open. He swung at the first pitch and snuck a seeing-eye single through the left side, scoring two and making it 3-0. Casey Carr and Alex Solis both followed with two-out RBI singles, putting the Warriors up, 5-0.
 
Academy of Art (1-0) wouldn't go completely quietly, though. A leadoff walk and RBI triple from Dominic Ruggiero in the top of the fifth got the Urban Knights on the board. Ruggiero came in to score on an RBI groundout, making it 5-2. A strikeout put two outs on the board and leaned towards ending Art U's rally prematurely. Instead, the next four batters all reached safely, highlighted by an infield RBI single from Robbie Brue to pull the Urban Knights to within two at 5-3.
 
Stanislaus State Starter Maxwell Pappas (1-0) was able to leave the bases loaded in the top of the fifth, escaping the jam with just the three runs allowed and preserving the 5-3 lead. He would finish with four strikeouts and three earned runs in five innings pitched. Academy of Art worked six free passes (five walks, hit-by-pitch) and six base hits out of Pappas, but couldn't beat him. On the other side, the Warriors chased Art U starter Cannon Secrist (0-1) after only 2 2/3 innings. Secrist allowed five runs on four hits, three walks and a hit-by-pitch and didn't make it out of the third inning.
 
Tony Jacob made a stellar Stanislaus State debut on the mound. He earned his first career save with four perfect innings of relief. He struck out five and did not allow a hit, a walk or a hit-by-pitch, retiring 12 in a row to make the Warriors' two-run lead stick. He only fell behind two of the 12 batters he faced, retiring six of them on three pitches or less.
 
Stanislaus State takes the next 10 days off before hosting Western Oregon in a four-game non-conference series, starting with a single game on Feb. 11. Fans can find all live coverage links on WarriorAthletics.com.