A series of games was on the agenda for Sacramento State as they started a gauntlet of seven games in seven days with only one break after a double header on Saturday, Mar. 1.

Wednesday: UC Davis 5, Sac State 6

The Hornets kicked off their busy week against the Aggies on Wednesday. Senior pitcher Caroline Evans got the start and began the game strong with three strikeouts in the first inning.

Swings and misses were a struggle both teams shared as scoring didn’t start until the third inning when the Aggies opened the contest with two runs in the third and fourth.

Later in the fourth, the Hornets finally got on the board with an Evans 2-run shot to center field to even the score at two apiece.

In a series of unfortunate events for the Hornets, the Aggies scored three runs to take a 5-2 lead. A triple to right field and a bases-loaded sacrifice bunt had the Hornets facing a steep deficit as the game reached the fifth.

With the Hornets down three runs they brought in sophomore pitcher Alexa Ortiz and Evans changed to focus on hitting.

The comeback didn’t take long as the Hornets scored a quick run to cut the deficit to two at the bottom of the fifth.

Needing a huge play to get back in the game, freshman first baseman Alexa Carino obliterated her first collegiate home run to center field to put the Hornets on top, 6-5.

“I’m a power hitter, and I usually am looking for a way to drive in runs,” Carino said. “My mentality was just to score runs, pass the bat, keep it going so that way we can hopefully win the game.”

CARINO! Her first collegiate home run is a pinch-hit 3-run homer to give the Hornets the lead! Hornets now lead UC Davis, 6-5! #StingersUp pic.twitter.com/D3FkCjCMU2

— Sacramento State Softball (@SacStSoftball) February 26, 2025

Sac State head coach Lori Perez said she was proud of Carino and knew her first home run was on the horizon.

“I told her right before she went to bat she was due for a run and when she did it I couldn’t have been more proud for her,” Perez said.

The home run made all the difference as the Hornets held on through the sixth and top of the seventh to secure a 6-5 win.

RELATED: Sac State Softball dominates going 3-1 as hosts of the NorCal Kickoff

Thursday: BYU 9, Sac State 4

After a close rivalry game, the Hornets came up short against the Cougars in a blunder of a game in which they piled up five errors and four unearned runs.

The game started to get out of hand in the fourth and fifth innings, after a string of unearned runs and multiple RBIs started to add up.

The Cougars jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the fifth, but the Hornets managed to narrowly avoid a mercy rule in the bottom of the inning.

The Hornets got on the board with sophomore outfielder Avery Brown driving a runner in with a double to center field. Freshman pinch hitter Alexa Carino followed with an almost identical performance to send Brown home.

Soon after freshman utility player Madison Evers-Lyles homered to left field to give the Hornets their final two runs, but the game was already too far gone.

The Hornet offense couldn’t pull the team out of the early hole and recover from defensive mistakes, leading to the 9-4 loss at home.

Friday: Nevada 6, Sac State 1

The story was similar to Thursday’s game as the Hornets couldn’t produce much offense in the first game of the Capital Classic.

The Hornets only had four hits and the only one that stood out was a home run by Evers-Lyles to left field in the second inning.

The home run proved to be the only excitement the Hornet offense displayed as Wolfpack got on the board in the third with an RBI that brought home two runners. They never let up.

Nevada stretched their lead to 5-1 in the fifth with a two-run homer from redshirt junior third baseman Haley Painter. The Hornets committed two errors in the seventh that sealed the game, 6-1.

Perez said bad games happen but was confident her team would respond.

“Bad games are gonna happen, and today was definitely a product of that,” Perez said. “We just have to do a better job of catching and throwing.”

Saturday: Santa Clara 2, Sac State 10

Unlike the previous game, the Hornets’ bats were on fire against Santa Clara. They ended the game with 14 hits and 10 runs.

Evers-Lyles opened the game off with a single to left field to bring home a quick score.

In the third, junior outfielder Lafulafu Malepeai homered to left field for a 2-run shot. Senior third baseman Nikki Barboza joined the offensive explosion with a home run of her own to extend the Hornet lead to four.

There were more fireworks for the Hornets in the fourth, as two more home runs from junior outfielder Andrea Lira and sophomore first baseman Malissa George broke open the game and catapulted Sac State to a 7-0 lead.

Santa Clara responded with two runs of their own in the fifth, but the margin was too much. By the sixth, the game was out of reach as the Hornets scored an additional three runs to slam the barn doors shut on the Broncos, winning 10-2.

Lira said she was striving to get more than one hit in a game and did just that.

“I was getting one hit a game, and so going into the game I was just like, I’m just gonna swing and see what happens,” Lira said.

Perez said her team performed well and was motivated from their previous loss.

“The stars of that game were our offense, just seeing us explode,” Perez said. “I know the girls were frustrated not having more offense, so they came in ready to swing the bat.”

Saturday: Nevada 7, Sac State 2

Saturday’s second matchup against Nevada was more of the same from Friday’s game.

Throughout the game, hits were near even but Nevada capitalized, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead while Sac State left multiple runners stranded on base.

Perez said the team’s many errors led to the game’s result.

“We had moments where we could’ve punched through and kind of shot ourselves in the foot on a few plays,” Perez said. “We just need to play a little sharper and when the opportunities are there, execute on those opportunities.”

Sunday: Sac State 10, UC Davis 2

Sac State’s offense was rejuvenated in their game vs rival UC Davis where they hit well with 10 runs, and 12 hits in a 10-2, 5-inning win to wash out the loss against Nevada.

Marsh, Evers-Lyles and Evans contributed half of the Hornets’ 10 runs with a home run each. The only inning the Hornets didn’t score was the fourth, while the Aggies’ two runs came from a homer and a sacrifice fly in the second.

HORNETS WIN! 10-2 mercy rule road victory at UC Davis

• 10 runs and 12 hits in 5 innings
• 3 home runs
• 6 Hornets with RBIs
• Malepeai 2×4, 2B, SB, 3 RBIs
• Marsh 2×3, 2 R, HR
• Evans 1×1, 2 BB, HR, 2 RBI
• Evers-Lyles 1×3, R, HR, 2 RBI
• George 2×3
• Buckley 1×2, 2 R pic.twitter.com/mFkR2Wdrcy

— Sacramento State Softball (@SacStSoftball) March 3, 2025

Tuesday: Sac State 14, Saint Mary’s 3

To cement this explosive end to their weekend, Sac State ethered Saint Mary’s in a 14-3 win in which the mercy rule was enforced.

The Hornets scored nine times in the 2nd to make the game out of reach. Lira and Evers-Lyles homered as the team ran circles around Saint Marys in the blowout.

The team finished 4-3 throughout the gauntlet of games and will hit the diamond again when they visit No. 6 UCLA on Friday at 4 p.m.