STOCKTON, Calif. (Interstat) — Brett Ott broke out of a prolonged slump with a home run and five RBIs, leading the Sacramento State Hornets to an 18-6 rout of the Pacific Tigers in a nonconference baseball game Sunday evening at Klein Family Field.

The Hornets (7-13) salvaged a split of the four-game season series with the Tigers (8-11) by unleashing an 18-hit offensive barrage, headlined by Ott’s performance. The left fielder, who had been hitless in his previous 12 at-bats, went 3 for 4, including a three-run homer in the seventh inning and a run-scoring double.

The most important part of the game was Sacramento State’s explosive second inning, which turned a tight contest into a blowout and set the tone for the remainder of the evening. Leading 1-0, the Hornets sent 13 batters to the plate and scored eight runs on seven hits, chasing Pacific starter Liam Smith. The inning featured a three-run homer by Erick Dessens and RBI singles from Ott, Jace Jeremiah and Josh Poturnak. By the time it ended, Sacramento State held a commanding 9-0 lead.

Pacific showed a brief sign of life in the third inning when pinch-hitter Payton Richards launched a three-run homer off Hornets starter Carson Timothy to cut the deficit to 9-4. The Tigers added two more in the fifth on an RBI single by Braeden Schnabel and a run-scoring double by Rylan Evans, making it 11-6.

Sacramento State, however, extinguished any hope of a comeback by scoring seven unanswered runs over the final three frames. Ott’s three-run blast to right-center field in the seventh was the exclamation point, capping the scoring.

Dessens finished 3 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs for the Hornets. Jeremiah went 3 for 5 with four RBIs, and Luis Pimentel-Guerrero added three hits and an RBI. Ryan Ellis contributed two hits and an RBI.

On the mound, the Hornets used a committee approach. Timothy started and went three innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits to earn the win. Trevor Wilson provided three scoreless innings of relief, striking out five, and Colin Hunter struck out the side in a perfect seventh inning to close the game.

For Pacific, Richards’ pinch-hit homer accounted for his three RBIs. Schnabel had two of the Tigers’ seven hits, including a double.

The lopsided result defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a low-scoring 3-2 victory for Pacific. The Hornets’ offensive eruption also contrasted sharply with their recent performances, having scored a total of just six runs in their previous two games, both losses to the Tigers.

Sacramento State next plays at San Francisco on Tuesday. Pacific will host Winthrop on Tuesday.