STOCKTON, Calif. (Interstat) — In a back-and-forth contest defined by a dramatic late-inning rally and an immediate, crushing response, the Pacific Tigers edged the Sacramento State Hornets 7-6 on Saturday at Klein Family Field.

The game’s pivotal sequence unfolded in the eighth inning, transforming a tight pitchers’ duel into a slugfest. Trailing 7-4 and down to their final six outs, Sacramento State mounted a furious comeback against Pacific reliever Connor Raridan. With two outs and two on, Hornets right fielder Erick Dessens launched a three-run homer to left-center field, tying the game and erasing what had been a three-run Pacific lead built just a half-inning before.

Dessens, who finished the day 4-for-5, was the offensive catalyst for Sacramento State, driving in three runs and scoring once. His heroics, however, were immediately overshadowed by Pacific’s own resilience.

The Tigers had seized control with a four-run outburst in the bottom of the seventh. After Alex Dolan singled and JT Shank followed with another, Jake Tandy laced a run-scoring double to make it 5-4. Blaine French’s groundout brought home another, and Grant MacArthur’s single through the left side capped the rally, scoring Tandy to give Pacific a 7-4 advantage.

That set the stage for Dessens’ game-tying blast, but Pacific reliever Ethan Shaver entered with the bases empty after the home run and recorded the final out of the eighth. In the ninth, Shaver allowed a leadoff single to Ryan Ott, who advanced to third and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Jace Jeremiah. Shaver stranded the potential tying run on base to secure the win, stranding a runner at third to end the game.

The contest began as a stark contrast to its finish, dominated early by Pacific starter Garret Plata. The Tigers’ top star delivered five strong innings, allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out three. His work kept the Hornets’ potent offense, which amassed 14 hits, largely in check through the middle frames.

Sacramento State’s pitching was equally effective for stretches. Starter Chase Sorlie and relievers Sean Carey and Bryce Stockton combined for 6 2/3 innings of no-hit baseball out of the bullpen, but the Hornets were undone by control issues. Three different Sacramento State pitchers issued critical walks and uncorked three wild pitches, leading directly to three Pacific runs.

Pacific improved to 8-10 with the victory, while Sacramento State fell to 6-13. The game defied pregame projections, as Interstat’s ELO system had given the Hornets a 70.3 percent probability to win, and its simulator had predicted a low-scoring 3-2 Pacific victory.

The Tigers’ eight hits were timely, with Dolan going 2-for-3 with an RBI and Tandy adding two hits and an RBI. For Sacramento State, Jeremiah drove in two runs, including the ninth-inning sacrifice fly.

The two teams conclude their three-game series on Sunday at Klein Family Field.