Softball sweeps Sunday doubleheader vs. Bakersfield

Senior catcher Marissa Navarro rips a hit during Sundays doubleheader sweep of Bakersfield.

Adam Dillon

Senior catcher Marissa Navarro rips a hit during Sunday’s doubleheader sweep of Bakersfield.

David Somers

The Sacramento State softball team closed out a four-game series against CSU Bakersfield with a doubleheader sweep of the Roadrunners at home on Sunday.

Sac State won the first match of the day 7-1 when they broke open a close game behind a pair of seventh inning home runs off the bats of true freshman infielder Riley Price and senior catcher Marissa Navarro. Navarro’s solo shot was her team-high tying seventh home run of the season and was the first of five runs the Hornets scored during the inning.

In the second game, Sac State squandered a 4-0 lead when they allowed the Roadrunners to tie the score 4-4 during the fifth inning. But once again the Hornets broke the game open by scoring two runs in the sixth inning and then erupting for six more runs in the seventh to make the final score 12-4.

During the second game, senior infielder Alyssa Nakken hit two home runs and nearly had a third when a deep fly ball sailed foul in the sixth. Nakken became the sixth player in school history to hit two home runs in a game.

The three home runs by seniors served as a fitting way to celebrate senior day at Shea Stadium, and the two wins helped head coach Kathy Strahan inch closer toward accomplishing a significant career milestone of her own.

By taking three of four from CSU Bakersfield over the weekend, the Hornets helped Strahan get to 799 career wins. Strahan, who has been the head coach at Sac State since 1993, will have to wait until next weekend’s series against the University of San Diego to get her 800th win.

David Somers can be reached at [email protected].