Sacramento State softball won its game against Princeton Sunday afternoon 10-1, ending by the mercy rule with a homer in the fifth inning. The victory was the Hornets’ second of the day and put the team’s current win streak at nine.

The Hornets toppled the Tigers in the last game of the Capital Classic Softball Tournament, with the decisive blast coming off the bat of senior catcher Marissa Navarro. The Hornets squeaked out a 1-0 victory over Colorado State earlier in the day.

The win gave the Hornets nine in a row, with 16 wins and eight losses so far this season, the first time the team has had a record above .500 since 2008. The team has batted .314 with six home runs and 47 RBIs during the streak.

The team had not played for a few days due to the weather, and head coach Kathy Strahan said her squad appreciated playing twice in a day before it took a three-day recess during Spring Break.  

“It was nice to come out and play because we have been idle,” Strahan said. “We get two wins today and I feel the team got re-energized and really needed to play.”

Hornets’ senior Shelby Voelz pitched the whole game, allowing only one run and three hits against the Tigers. Voelz also had two strikeouts and two walks, and has now won four consecutive starts.

Strahan said the defensive play by the team, including double plays in the second and fourth innings, were critical, and all the members played together well.

The Hornets will face UC Santa Barbara after Spring Break on March 26, and Strahan said the team will review reports and look into hitter and pitcher habits.

“We will get the team focused on (Santa Barbara) and get after it,” she said.

Joe de Ocampo can be reached at [email protected].