STOCKTON, Calif. (Interstat) — The Pacific Tigers, held hitless for four innings, rallied from a seven-run deficit to stun the Sacramento State Hornets 8-7 on a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday at Klein Family Field.

The comeback victory, which defied pregame projections that heavily favored the Hornets, evened Pacific’s record at 4-4, while Sacramento State fell to 3-5.

The game’s narrative fractured into two distinct acts. Sacramento State erupted for all seven of its runs in the first two innings against Pacific starter L. Smith and reliever E. Shaver, capitalizing on wildness and a key hit. The Hornets sent 11 men to the plate in a chaotic second inning, scoring five runs on just one hit—a two-run single by right fielder Erick Dessens—aided by four walks and a hit batter.

Dessens provided the early thunder, finishing 2 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs. His two-run homer in the first inning opened the scoring, and his two-run single in the second capped the Hornets’ offensive output for the day.

From there, Pacific’s bullpen authored a masterpiece of containment. Five relievers combined to throw eight shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out nine. Maddox Moreno, Max Goldberg, Elias Valdez, Carson Revay and C. Raridan silenced the Hornets’ bats, with Revay earning the win after pitching two scoreless frames to finish the game.

Their work provided the runway for the Tigers’ methodical comeback. The offense broke through in the fourth when Derek Bartram launched a two-run homer off Hornets starter Chase Sorlie to make it 7-2. Sorlie was otherwise brilliant, tossing four no-hit innings with the only damage coming on Bartram’s blast.

Pacific chased Sorlie in the fifth, scoring two more on a J. Tandy single. They continued to chip away in the sixth, with Andrew Sloan and B. O’Sulliva delivering RBI hits to pull within a run at 7-6. Sloan was a catalyst all afternoon, going 3 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored.

The Tigers tied the game in the eighth. Sloan doubled, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a pinch-hit single by B. Schnabel. Schnabel’s pinch-runner, A. Dolan, then stole third and reached home on a throwing error by the catcher, but the run did not count as he was not forced home on the play, leaving the score tied.

In the ninth, after Jackson Halverson relieved with one out and a runner on first, P. Richards entered as a pinch-runner following a walk. After a fielder’s choice and a hit batter loaded the bases, pinch-hitter R. Evans lined a 1-2 pitch into right field, scoring Richards to trigger the celebration.

The most important sequence of the game was Pacific’s bullpen lockdown. After the second inning, the Hornets managed only three singles and three walks over the final seven frames. They never advanced a runner past second base after the third inning. This complete shutdown, following the early avalanche of runs, was the essential foundation for the historic comeback, allowing the Tigers’ offense time to mount its relentless, game-winning response.

Sacramento State next travels to face California on Friday, while Pacific opens a series at Grand Canyon. The two teams are scheduled to meet again in a home-and-home set beginning March 11.