Although they’re newcomers, they know all about the rivalry.

The Sacramento State softball team relied on the efforts of two new players to propel them to a double-header sweep of causeway rival UC Davis Wednesday afternoon at Shea Stadium by scores of 3-2 and 2-1, respectively.

“My dad is an alum of Sac State,” said junior pitcher Nikki Cinque, a native of Elk Grove and transfer from Sacramento City College, “so I know all about the Davis rivalry.”

Cinque pitched a complete game, allowing six hits and an unearned run while striking out four hitters.

“Of course I was nervous (to pitch in the rivalry game),” Cinque said. “The nerves were flowing.”

The Hornets loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning of the nightcap and after catcher Erin Coyne struck out looking, sophomore Amy Jo McKenzie poked one over Davis shortstop Lindsay Cox’ head and into left field to drive in Lindy Winkler.

Sac State struck again the bottom of the second inning on a Winkler single that was muffed Aggies center fielder Megan De La Hoya, allowing Hornets right fielder Ashley Dawson to score from first base to make the score 2-0. Winkler was thrown out at home trying to score on the play.

The Aggies got their lone run on an RBI single from catcher Megan Turman, scoring Jessica Hancock. The play was set up by an error from Hornets shortstop Amy Tompkins the previous at-bat.

Caoagan, a native of Salinas, said that while she didn’t know about the rivalry when she came to Sac State, teammates made her aware of it.

In her first game in front of the home crowd Wednesday Caoagan went 2-for-4 with two RBIs including the game winner in the eighth inning to secure a victory.

The first RBI, a bloop single just past second base plated pinch runner Gloria Toledo in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Hornets a 2-1 lead.

The Aggies tied the game in the top of the seventh, however, on a Turman single and after Sac State failed to respond, the game went to extra innings.

After the Hornets held Davis scoreless in the top of the eighth inning, pinch runner Hilary Johnson was placed at second base to begin the bottom of the eighth as part of the international tiebreaker rule format.

Johnson stole third base following a Toledo strikeout to bring the game-winning run within 60 feet of home plate.

“I was just anxious to get up there and make-up for my mistake that let them score in the top of the inning,” Caoagan said.

And make up she did.

Caoagan laced a single to left field to send Johnson scampering home and win the game.

“I got a good pitch and knew I could hit it somewhere,” Caoagan said.

Sac State improves to 5-2, its best record after seven games since the 1995 team was 7-0. UC Davis is now 2-7.

The Hornets play UC Davis three more times this year, the next coming Feb. 26 at the Stanford Invitational Tournament in Palo Alto and then five days later in Davis Mar. 3 for a double-header at LaRue Field beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Sac State next travels to Phoenix to take part in the Kajikawa Classic Friday-Sunday. Over the weekend the Hornets will play some of the finest teams in the nation as they take on No. 3 Arizona, two-time defending champion and No. 1 UCLA and host Arizona State who is currently receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll.

“That’s life on the West Coast,” Hornets coach Kathy Strahan said.