Friday, May 22
Stephenville, TX
11:00 AM
California Baptist University
44-14
3
vs
5
Tarleton State University
36-19
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Baptist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| Tarleton State | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 5 | 9 | 0 |
Photo by: Matt Horrocks
Baseball Season Ends in the WAC Semifinals
5/22/2026 11:23:00 PM | Baseball
MESA, AZ --- A loss to start Friday's day of baseball dropped the Lancers to the elimination bracket of the 2026 WAC Tournament. What came next was a high score meeting with Sacramento State, who ultimately earned a 12-7 victory at Hohokam Stadium, ending the Lancers' 2026 campaign.
The Hornets earned their chance to battle the Lancers after eliminating Utah Tech in the second game of the day in Mesa. With their win, Sacramento State advances to Saturday's championship round, where they will have to beat Tarleton State twice to claim the final WAC baseball crown.
Sacramento State was the first to get on the board as they tagged right-hander Ryne Palmer with a run in the first inning. The Lancers quickly turned to the bullpen after the run, as Zachary Yates was called on with just one out recorded. Yates logged three innings of work in the final outing of his collegiate career.
Connor Ross got the Lancers on the board in the third with an RBI single. He then scored on a Bryce McFeely single to level the game at two.
The Hornets countered CBU's two runs with a five-spot in the fourth, which the Lancers responded with two more runs on a fielder's choice and a bases-loaded walk.
CBU's final push for a comeback came in the seventh, starting with Cole Howarth, who singled in a run to make it a 9-5 game. Ryley Hunsaker then drove in a run on a ground-rule double, and Eric Ruiz wrapped up the rally with a sacrifice fly to pull CBU within two. But the Hornets had one more stinger left in them as they got all three runs back in the eighth to push their lead to five.
Shortstop Chris Ramirez finished his final game of the season 1-for-4. His lone hit, a triple, gave him 98 for the year, setting a new CBU all-time single-season record.
Hunsaker closed out the season with a 3-for-5 showing. McFeely went 2-for-5 in his collegiate finale. Howarth ended the night 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
WAC Pitcher of the Year Michael Malki made his second appearance of the weekend, tossing 2.2 innings of work in relief. Malki allowed two runs on three hits with five strikeouts. The Lancers used eight pitchers in the loss.
The 2026 season ends as one of the most successful in CBU's Division I era. The Lancers closed the year with 44 wins, the most during the program's time in Division I. Friday night's loss brings to an end CBU's time in the WAC as the university will officially transition its conference membership to the Big West this summer.
The Hornets earned their chance to battle the Lancers after eliminating Utah Tech in the second game of the day in Mesa. With their win, Sacramento State advances to Saturday's championship round, where they will have to beat Tarleton State twice to claim the final WAC baseball crown.
Sacramento State was the first to get on the board as they tagged right-hander Ryne Palmer with a run in the first inning. The Lancers quickly turned to the bullpen after the run, as Zachary Yates was called on with just one out recorded. Yates logged three innings of work in the final outing of his collegiate career.
Connor Ross got the Lancers on the board in the third with an RBI single. He then scored on a Bryce McFeely single to level the game at two.
The Hornets countered CBU's two runs with a five-spot in the fourth, which the Lancers responded with two more runs on a fielder's choice and a bases-loaded walk.
CBU's final push for a comeback came in the seventh, starting with Cole Howarth, who singled in a run to make it a 9-5 game. Ryley Hunsaker then drove in a run on a ground-rule double, and Eric Ruiz wrapped up the rally with a sacrifice fly to pull CBU within two. But the Hornets had one more stinger left in them as they got all three runs back in the eighth to push their lead to five.
Shortstop Chris Ramirez finished his final game of the season 1-for-4. His lone hit, a triple, gave him 98 for the year, setting a new CBU all-time single-season record.
Hunsaker closed out the season with a 3-for-5 showing. McFeely went 2-for-5 in his collegiate finale. Howarth ended the night 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
WAC Pitcher of the Year Michael Malki made his second appearance of the weekend, tossing 2.2 innings of work in relief. Malki allowed two runs on three hits with five strikeouts. The Lancers used eight pitchers in the loss.
The 2026 season ends as one of the most successful in CBU's Division I era. The Lancers closed the year with 44 wins, the most during the program's time in Division I. Friday night's loss brings to an end CBU's time in the WAC as the university will officially transition its conference membership to the Big West this summer.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wendel, Ethan (6-3)
L: Peck, Bryan (7-2)
S: Phetluangsy, Tai (8)
Batting:
2B: McFeely, Bryce 1 ; Chavez, Matt 1
RBI: McFeely, Bryce 1 ; Ruiz, Eric 1 ; Castelli, Ben 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hansen, Cole 1 ; Ross, Connor 1 ; Chavez, Matt 1
HBP: McFeely, Bryce 1
Batting:
2B: Lorch, Carson 1
3B: Heinrich, Rayner 1
HR: Smeenk, Raphael 2 ; Guerra, Sergio 1
RBI: Smeenk, Raphael 2 ; Lorch, Carson 1 ; Heinrich, Rayner 1 ; Guerra, Sergio 1
SH: Smeenk, Raphael 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Smeenk, Raphael 2 ; Heinrich, Rayner 1 ; Guerra, Sergio 1 ; McCloud, Slade 1
SB: Lorch, Carson 1 ; Heinrich, Rayner 2
Players Mentioned
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