Swarm Report March 7: Sac State softball team splits doubleheader, tennis player beats nationally ranked player

Patrick Posuniak

Robert J. Hansen
March 8, 2021

Sac State softball team splits doubleheader with Pacific

Sophomore third baseman Lewa Day hits the ball in the second game against Pacific at Shea Stadium on Sunday, March 7, 2021. Day scored the winning run in the first game of the doubleheader. (Sydney Roll)

 

The Sac State softball team (6-17) hosted University of the Pacific (5-7) for a doubleheader Sunday.

The first game remained scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning, when the Hornets scored the winning run on a throwing error after loading the bases on a walk and two singles.

Sophomore pitcher Marissa Bertuccio pitched a complete game and her fourth shutout of the season, only allowing 2 hits with 89 pitches in leading her team in the 1-0 win.

The Hornets lost the second game to the Tigers 8-1 after Pacific jumped out to a hot start and scored three runs in the first inning. Two of the runs came unearned off throwing errors by the Hornets.

Hornet third baseman Lewa Day scored on an error in the fourth for the Hornets’ only run of the game.

The Hornets’ pitchers allowed eight hits and three unearned runs in the loss to the Tigers in game two. But another three-run inning in the fifth by the Tigers made it 6-1 which proved to be too much for the Hornets who went 6-27 at the plate in game two.

The Hornets’ next game will be at Oregon State on Friday at 3 p.m.

 

Nielsen defeats ranked player, but women’s tennis team falls to Pacific

The Sacramento State women’s tennis team (0-8) lost to the University of the Pacific (2-4) on Sunday.

Sophomore Jayden Nielsen beat Klara Kosan, the nation’s 70th-ranked player in split sets 3-6, 6-1, 10-8 at Pacific. Nielsen won a tiebreaker in set three to secure the victory.

Despite Nielsen’s win and a number of close matches, the Hornets lost 5-1 in singles and 6-1 overall to the Tigers.

Sacramento State’s next match is at Santa Clara on Friday at 11 a.m.

 

Baseball team goes down to Santa Clara

Sacramento State’s baseball team (7-4) ended a four-game series with a loss to Santa Clara (4-7) on Sunday.

The Hornets lost 10-4 and fell behind early, allowing three runs in the first inning.

A single by second baseman Jorge Bojorquez brought the Hornets within a run at 4-3  in the second inning, which caused the Broncos to make a pitching change.

A double by Moretto tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the third. 

In the fourth inning, the Hornets ran into trouble, at one point letting the bases get loaded with no outs. This ended up allowing a three-run home run to Santa Clara’s Eamonn Lance, causing the Hornets to fall behind 9-4. This proved to be too much as the Hornets fell 10-5 to the Broncos.

The Hornets’ next game is at Tarleton State on Friday at noon.

 

Women’s volleyball team wins close match against Eastern Washington 

Falk
Sydney Roll
Junior middle blocker Sarah Falk spikes the ball over the net in a game against Eastern Washington on Sunday, March 7, 2021. Falk ended the match with 5 kills and 7 digs.

Sacramento State’s women’s volleyball team won a close match against rival Eastern Washington University on Sunday 3-2.

The Hornets (8-5) took the first set 25-14 led by Karlee Soderberg, whose strong third set played a big role in the Hornets taking a 2-1 lead in the match after three sets.

The Hornets won the third set 25-20, but the Eagles (4-8) took the fourth set, also 25-20, which left them tied in sets 2-2.

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In the final set, the Hornets went on a 5-0 scoring run taking it to match point at 14-10. After an ace by the Eagles, the Hornets took the match with a block by Sarah Falk and Caitlin Volkmann.

The Hornets will take on Portland State on Friday at 6 p.m.