SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento State received brilliant performances in the circle from
Danyelle Leone and
Alexa Ortiz, and four home runs from its offense, to sweep a non-conference doubleheader against San Diego on Saturday afternoon at Shea Stadium.
The Hornets won the first game, 5-1, before coming back in the nightcap to win, 3-1. Sacramento State improved to 20-10 overall, and 9-6 at home. The Hornets and Toreros (12-16) finish the three-game series tomorrow with a single game at noon.
San Diego combined to hit .089 against Leone and Ortiz, as the Toreros had no answer for the Sacramento State right-handers. Leone (4-1) entered the first game in relief in the first inning with a pair of runners aboard and no outs. She proceeded to pitch all seven innings, allowing just two hits with a walk and four strikeouts. With the exception of her inherited runners in the first inning, Leone did not allow a runner past first base the entire way. She also lowered her ERA to 1.05 and WHIP to 0.92.
In the nightcap, Ortiz (7-4) won her team-high seventh game, tossed her seventh complete game, and allowed just two hits and a run in seven innings. She struck out seven batters, and needed 99 pitches to complete the gem. Ortiz retired the final 10 batters in succession, and only ran into trouble in the fourth inning when she yielded San Diego's lone run.
Lafulafu Malepeai homered in both games, and now has a team-high 10 bombs this season. The slugger has already surpassed her season total of seven from a year ago.
Madi Mendoza provided brilliant defense throughout both games, and homered in the opener - a fifth-inning shot down the left field line that tied the score at 1-1. The Hornets would proceed to score five unanswered runs (two in the fifth, three in the sixth), which included a Malepeai two-run shot in the sixth which followed an
Ava Medellin RBI-double.
Shannon Garcia clubbed her second home run of the season in Game 2, a shot to left field that gave the Hornets a 1-0 lead in the second. After San Diego tied things at 1-1 in the fourth, Malepeai's fifth-inning solo homer put the Hornets up for good at 2-1.
Madison Evers-Lyles added an RBI-single in the sixth for insurance, and Ortiz put things away with perfect frames in the fifth, sixth and seventh.
Garcia and Malepeai hit safely in both games, which included Garcia collecting a team-best three knocks during the doubleheader.
Faith Epperson had a pair of hits in the opener, including a triple.
Sacramento State has just two remaining non-league games before opening Big Sky Conference play on the road next Friday-Saturday at Northern Colorado.
