GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Sacramento State's first 11 batters of the game reached base safely, and the Hornets connected on a school-record tying four home runs on the way to a 16-2 victory over North Dakota in the third and final game of a three-game Big Sky Conference softball series Saturday afternoon at the Apollo Sports Complex. The Hornets scored 11 runs in the first inning, and five more in the second as the game was stopped after five innings because of the eight-run mercy rule.

The Hornets (21-19, 10-2) complete the three-game sweep in a series which saw Sacramento State outscore North Dakota, 36-5. The Hornets swept a doubleheader over UND (8-32, 0-12) yesterday by 8-3 and 12-0 (5 innings) scores.

The Hornets' four home runs today matched a school record (set three times previously), and first time since hitting four at Loyola Marymount on April 14, 2012. Of those four home runs, senior Paige Martin had two (including home runs in the first and second innings), and junior Sasha Margulies and sophomore Alexis Martinez connected once. Martin's two home runs tied a program single-game record, accomplished previously by six other players. Martin finished the three-game series with three home runs, and now has 11 for her career, moving her into a tie for seventh place in school history in that category.

Sacramento State remains in a tie for first place in the Big Sky standings with Idaho State (10-2), and the two teams sit a game ahead of third-place Weber State (9-3). That sets up a huge three-game first-place showdown series next week at home against Idaho State. The Hornets and Bengals will play a doubleheader on Friday at noon, followed by a single game on Saturday at noon. Only nine conference games remain on the regular season schedule.

During the three-game series against UND, Sacramento State batted .395 (34-for-86) with eight doubles, five home runs, 34 RBIs, 59 total bases, a .686 slugging percentage and a .476 on-base percentage. The Hornets also committed just one error during the entire series and Sacramento State's pitching staff compiled a 2.06 ERA while limiting UND's offense to a miniscule .107 batting average.

In today's game, each of the first 11 Sacramento State batters reached base safely as the Hornets scored 11 runs in the first inning and put the game away early. Martin led off the game with a home run, and was followed by a Zamari Hinton single, back-to-back RBI-doubles from Shelby Johnston and Margulies, a single from Alexa Chattleton, a hit-by-pitch to Alexis Martinez, an RBI-single from Kortney Solis, walk to Nicole Clark, an RBI-fielders choice by Marissa Maligad, a bases-loaded hit-batter to Martin, an RBI-single from Hinton, and finally the first batter retired on a sacrifice fly by Johnston. Margulies would hit her fourth home run of the season later in the inning. By the time the dust had cleared, the Hornets had 11 runs and eight hits before North Dakota had even batted.

Sacramento State tacked on five more runs in the second inning, highlighted by a home run from Martinez, a three-run blast from Martin and an RBI-single from Chattleton.

The Hornets used 17 players in the game, and got production from nearly everyone. Martin went 2-for-3 with three runs, two homers and five RBIs, Hinton was 2-for-2 with three runs, a walk and an RBI, Margulies was 3-for-3 with two runs, a walk and four RBIs, and Chattleton went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Solis and Clark both scored a pair of runs.

Margulies reached base in all four plate appearances, and finished just a triple shy of the cycle. She finished the series 8-for-11 (.727) with six runs, two doubles, a home run, five RBIs and a 1.182 slugging percentage. In fact, Margulies has reached base safely in 10 consecutive plate appearances dating back to yesterday's first game of the series.

Martin had three home runs, seven RBIs and a 1.750 slugging percentage during the series.

Three Hornet pitchers made appearances today, comprised of Caitlin Brooks (1.0 ip), Celina Matthias (2.0 ip) and Kaitlyn Yerby (2.0). It was Yerby who picked up the win and improved to 3-0 this season, allowing just one hit in two innings of relief.