Sacramento State’s softball team capped off its three-game road trip with a win against Northern Colorado 4-1, finishing the sweep and putting the Hornets in sole possession of first place in the Big Sky Conference.

 

The Hornets threatened throughout the game, starting off the game by putting two base runners on against Northern Colorado. It wasn’t until the second inning that the Hornets got a run, when first baseman Jessica Ravetti smacked an RBI single to center with two runners on to give them a 1-0 lead.

Hornet starting pitcher Celina Matthias ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth, giving up a lead-off single followed by a double to put runners at second and third with nobody out. She eventually extinguished the threat, inducing three straight outs to hold the lead for Sac State.

The Hornets doubled their lead in the next frame off back-to-back doubles. Ravetti hit a one-out double before third baseman Kailey Olcott hit one of her own to drive in the second run of the game. Olcott continued her torrid stretch in the series and collected three hits that afternoon.

The lead got cut in half in the bottom of the frame, though. After an eight-pitch battle, Matthias yielded an RBI double before zoning in again and getting the next two hitters out to strand the tying run at third base.

Sac State quickly got the run back with a little help from the Northern Colorado defense. Right fielder Natalie Alas lead off by getting on base via an error, and designated player Sasha Margulies drove her in, hitting a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 3-1.

The Hornets added on one more run in the last frame of the game to bring the final score to 4-1. A lead-off single followed by a walk and another single loaded the bases for Alas, who drove in a big insurance run by way of an RBI groundout.

Matthias went the distance, striking out seven en route to her 12th win of the season. The Northern Colorado offense gave her trouble all day, not going down in order for most of the game. While not one of her more dominant starts, Matthias weaved her way through 12 base runners and just two extra-base hits. She shut the door hard at the end, getting her first three-up, three-down inning in the final frame.

The series featured tons of offense from the Hornets, with the team batting a collective .391 and scoring 23 runs over the three-game set. Shortstop Sydney Rasmussen had a huge series, getting 10 hits in 12 at bats to go along with two walks and steady defense at shortstop. The Hornet defense also was sharp on Saturday with no errors, continuing to lead the conference in fielding percentage as one of the top defensive teams.

With the win, Sac State now stands alone on top of the Big Sky Conference with an 8-1 conference record. The Hornets (18-15) head back home for a four-game homestand, with the first featuring an afternoon tilt against nonconference foe Santa Clara in a Tuesday afternoon game.