On a day when the Sacramento State softball team’s seniors were honored before the game, it was a sophomore that recorded the biggest hit against Big Sky Conference opponent Weber State University (31-17 overall, 10-6 Big Sky).

Third baseman Alexis Martinez hammered a two-run shot to left field in the bottom of the sixth, as Sac State defeated the Wildcats 2-0 in the series finale.

The victory improved the Hornets’ conference record to 12-6 and their overall record to 23-34.

With the win, the Hornets gained sole possession of second place in the Big Sky Conference standings after being tied with the Wildcats before Saturday.

Before Martinez’s home run, it was a pitchers’ duel between the Hornets’ Caitlin Brooks and the Wildcats’ MaCauley Flint.

Flint was throwing a no-hitter through 5 1/3 innings until Sasha Margulies extended her hitting streak to 13 games with a single in the bottom of the sixth inning. Her streak is tied for the fourth longest in the program’s Division I Era (1990 through present).

Martinez’s home run came after Shelby Johnston reached base on a fielder’s choice that retired Margulies for the second out of the inning.

“Prior, going into that at-bat, I knew I needed to make an adjustment and hit it on the ground,” Martinez said. “I knew she was going to come [towards the] middle-inside and I just tagged on it.”

It was Martinez’s third home run of the season.

Martinez said she felt her home run was going to win the game, especially with the way Brooks was pitching.

Brooks (11-5) pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout and received the win in possibly her last game at Shea Stadium.

Not only was senior day important for Brooks and the other seniors, but it was also important for the rest of team to win possibly their last game at Shea Stadium.

“I think for all six of us [seniors], it was really important to come together and have fun,” Brooks said. “The team was really there for us today and they wanted us to be successful.”

After throwing 13 strikeouts against the Wildcats on Friday, Brooks only tossed five strikeouts and allowed three walks in today’s contest. She also hit two batters in the game.

After Idaho State University’s 5-4 loss against the University of Northern Colorado (17-22-1 overall, 9-7 Big Sky), the Hornets are two games out of first place, as they focus on the final series of the regular season against Portland State next weekend.

“Right now we need to take care of business on our end,” said Hornets’ coach Lori Perez. “We need to go into Portland and get three wins, which is going to be tough, but definitely doable. We’re going to need Idaho State to drop some games and unfortunately, you don’t want to have your destiny in someone else’s hands. However, you have to go out and play the game.”

The Hornets’ series against the Portland State Vikings will begin on Friday, May 1 with a doubleheader scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The series will conclude at noon on Saturday, May 2.