SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and Jack Zalasky threw 3.2 shutout innings of relief to lift the Hornets to a 10-9 win over Northern Illinois on Sunday at John Smith Field and complete a four-game sweep of the Huskies.

Northern Illinois entered the sixth tied 5-5 before erupting for four runs to build a 9-5 lead. The inning started with a triple to the right field corner from Matt Barnes and a walk to Andre Demetral. The Huskies then executed a perfect bunt from Eric Erato to score a run before Aaron Harper crushed a ball over the left-center field fence for a three-run home run. After a double, Zalasky was summoned from the bullpen where he recorded the final two outs of the inning.

Facing its largest deficit of the series, the Hornets responded with one-out singles from Cesar Valero and Dawsen Bacho. After a strikeout, Steven Moretto loaded the bases with a walk and each runner later advanced on a wild pitch. Another walk to Nick Iwasa again placed three runners on before Josh Rolling singled through the left side of the infield to plate two runs. The big blow in the inning came from Martin Vincelli-Simard who doubled down the left-field line to drive in the tying and go-ahead runs.

That one-run cushion was enough for Zalasky who set down the last 10 batters he faced and allowed just one walk without a hit to earn his first win of the season.

The lead swung back and forth throughout the early portions of the game. The Hornets scored first on a bases-loaded walk in the second inning. NIU then took its first lead of the weekend in the third inning with a single up the middle from Carlos Aranda.

Sacramento State moved back on top, 4-2, in the bottom of the third with a sacrifice fly from Moretto, a single from Iwasa and a double to the right-center gap by Rolling.

Both teams scored runs in the fourth inning and the Huskies tied the game, 5-5, in the fifth with a two-run single through a vacated second base on a hit-and-run.

Sacramento State used five pitchers in the game with Kevin Haynes earning the start and allowing two runs in three innings.

The Hornet offense combined for 11 hits from eight players led by three from Bacho and two from Rolling, Bacho finished the weekend 9-of-13 (.692) with three doubles, six runs scored and four RBI. He also walked twice to give him a .733 on-base percentage and a .923 slugging percentage.

As a team, Sacramento State hit .322 over the four games while limiting NIU to .212. The four-game win streak to open the year is the first for the program since the 1991 team also started undefeated through four games.