The Hornets needed every strike in a seven-inning thriller to beat Princeton 4-3 in the first game of the Capitol Classic Softball Tournament today. The second game wasn’t nearly as close, as Sac State blindsided No. 19 Ohio State 14-6 to finish the day 2-0 in the tournament.

In the first game, juniors Whitney Loomis and Jamie Schloredt clubbed back-to-back home runs in the first inning to give the Hornets a quick lead, but Princeton answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning. A third inning sacrifice fly by Princeton shortstop Kathryn Welch gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead, which they held until the seventh inning.

The Hornets put two runners in scoring position with two outs in the final frame for senior Rachel Miles, who quickly fell behind 1-2. Just one strike away from defeat, Miles connected on an opposite-field single that scored both runners and gave the Hornets a 4-3 lead.

Sophomore Brittani Clifford then came in to finish the game off for the Hornets and she threw a perfect inning to earn her third save of the season.

No such dramatics were needed in the second matchup, as the Hornets scored at least four runs in three different innings in a 14-6 romp.

The Buckeyes held a 1-0 lead heading into the third inning when the Hornets exploded for five runs. Sac State then put up four runs in both the fourth and sixth innings as all but one starter notched a hit.

Overall, the Hornet lineup combined for 16 hits, five walks and three home runs.

Loomis paced the Hornets with four RBI’s in the game, all of which came off of a grand slam in the sixth. The junior recorded three hits against the Buckeyes and she finished the day with a combined four hits, five RBI’s and five runs scored.

The Hornets improve to 12-10 overall after today’s games. Sac State will play another doubleheader tomorrow as the Capitol Classic continues, starting with No. 11 Oklahoma at 10 a.m. The Hornets will then face Colorado State at 3 p.m.

Fernando Gallo can be reached at [email protected]