Sacramento State bounced back to secure a series win over Montana, taking two of three games on the back of explosive innings and clutch hitting. 

After dropping the opener, the Hornets responded with back-to-back wins to improve to 5-4 in Big Sky play. 

April 10, 10 a.m.: Montana 9, Sac State 6

The series opened with Montana taking the first game behind a late offensive surge from the Grizzlies. Junior pitcher Alexa Ortiz started in the circle for Sac State and worked through some early pressure when Montana struck first in the opening inning. Ortiz allowed a lead-off walk, a stolen base, a single through the left side, then a RBI single to center field.

The Hornets answered in the third inning, when junior first baseman Malissa George singled to left field. She then scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by sophomore catcher Shannon Garcia to tie the game. Sac State briefly took control in the fourth inning when junior shortstop Madi Mendoza doubled to center field, then scored on a single to left field by Garcia, giving the Hornets a 2-1 lead.

The Grizzlies put the Hornets out of sight with a 7-run fifth inning that started with a solo home run to left field. The blast was followed by a double to right field, a walk and a single to right field that loaded the bases. 

Sac State allowed a walk to score a run, before Grizzlies freshman infielder Brianna Gutierrez drilled a grand slam to left field. Montana scored one more run after a solo shot, ending the inning with a 8-2 lead in favor of the Grizzlies. 

Sac State attempted a late rally in the sixth inning that began when Garcia hit a 2-run home run over the left-field fence, scoring Mendoza and herself. Senior outfielder Faith Epperson kept it going with a single to the shortstop before stealing second base to put herself in scoring position. 

George came in clutch again, hitting a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Epperson. The rally in the sixth ended just after that, as with a strikeout.

Senior outfielder Lafulafu Malepeai added a solo home run to right field in the seventh, but that wasn’t enough for the Hornets, losing 9-6.

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April 10, 12:30 p.m.: Sac State 9, Montana 3

Sac State responded in game two with a dominant 9-3 win. Senior pitcher Kennedie Bacon earned the start in the circle and kept control of the game from the beginning. 

Sac State struck first in the opening inning when Mendoza singled to left field, then Epperson reached first base on a fielder’s choice by the shortstop. With both runners on base, Malepeai crushed a 3-run home run to right field, giving the Hornets a 3-0 lead to start.

Sac State continued to apply pressure in the second inning when sophomore outfielder Addy Buckley singled to shortstop. Buckley stole second and third base after a passed ball and a wild pitch. 

Mendoza followed, hitting a double into left-center field and driving in Buckley. Mendoza came around to score later in the inning when sophomore outfielder Karissa Avila doubled to left center extending the lead further. 

Montana counterpunched with a single to center field that scored the Grizzlies’ first run, but Sac State broke the game open in the fourth inning. 

Sophomore outfielder Ava Medellin singled to right field to start the rally, which was followed by a Mendoza double into left-center field that moved Medellin to third base. Epperson singled into left field, driving in Medellin. 

Epperson then stole second, putting herself into scoring position. Malepeai reached first base on a fielder’s choice by the pitcher, which was followed by sophomore third baseman Madison Evers-Lyles singling to left field, scoring Mendoza and advancing Epperson and Malepeai. 

Sophomore outfielder Saskia Raab also reached first base on a fielder’s choice, allowing Epperson to score. Garcia then singled to left field, driving in Evers-Lyles to cap a 4-run inning for the Hornets.

Montana briefly threatened the Hornets again in the fifth inning, when a double to left-center field put the runner in scoring position. After a pinch runner was put in, Montana advanced the runner to third base after a ground out to the shortstop. The run scored after another single to the shortstop brought the runner home. 

A single down the left-field line put another runner in scoring position, and a single down right-field line brought a second run in for Montana in the fifth inning. Garcia ended their rally behind the plate after throwing out a runner who was attempting to steal third base. 

Both teams went quiet for the rest of the game, but the Hornets still came out on top with a 9-3 win. 

April 11: Sac State 9, Montana 6

Sac State carried their momentum into the finale, using a balanced pitching effort from Bacon and sophomore pitcher Kyndal Williams. Bacon had started the game, while Williams closed it in relief.

Sac State struck first in the second inning, when Evers-Lyles drove a pitch over the left-field fence for a solo home run, giving Sac State a 1-0 lead. 

Sac State scored again in the third inning after Mendoza worked a walk and immediately started to create pressure on the bases by stealing second. Epperson came in with a single to right field, bringing in Mendoza and giving the Hornets a 2-0 advantage. 

Montana responded in the fourth inning when a single to center field drove in their first run, trimming the lead to 2-1.

The Hornets answered in a big way in the bottom of the fourth inning. Raab doubled down the left-field line to put herself in scoring position. Then Garcia followed with a sacrifice bunt, moving Raab to third base and leaving both runners safe.

George then singled to center field, scoring Raab and moving Garcia to third base. Junior third baseman Erin Garcia came in to pinch hit for the Hornets and scored Garcia after a ground ball to the second baseman forced an out at first base. 

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With runners on, Mendoza delivered the biggest swing of the game, crushing a 2-run home run over the left-field fence, scoring George and herself. The inning closed out after a pop out to the pitcher put a stop to the Hornets’ rally, but they had built a 7-1 lead. 

Montana answered in the fifth with their most productive inning, starting with a double to center field to put their first runner in scoring position. A single to center field moved the runners to first and third base, then an RBI to center field scored their first run of the inning. The Grizzlies kept scoring, adding two more with a 2-run home run over the left-field fence, bringing the game to 7-4.

Both teams kept it going in the sixth inning. The Grizzlies got their start with a hit by pitch, then a single to right field that put runners on first base and second base. 

The Grizzlies followed with a triple down the right-field line, scoring two. Williams was able to get the Hornets out of the inning with a groundout to the second baseman, but not without some damage to come with it, bringing the score to 7-6. 

Sac State iced the game in the bottom of the sixth when Mendoza singled to center field to get on base. Epperson then delivered the final blow, launching a 2-run home run to left field that scored Mendoza and restored control for the Hornets. 

Williams shut down the Grizzlies in the top of the seventh inning with three quick outs, securing the 9-6 win and clinching the series for Sac State 

Sac State will head on the road for a three-game Big Sky series at Idaho State, beginning on April 17.