DAVIS, Calif. — Sacramento State split a pair of games, beating Montana, 5-3, and falling to Santa Clara, 1-0, on the second day of the Aggie Softball Kick-Off on Saturday morning at La Rue Field.

With the split, the Hornets are now 1-2 on the young season as the team lost yesterday to CSU Bakersfield, 5-4, in extra innings. Sacramento State's other game yesterday against UC Davis was halted after seven innings of scoreless ball because of darkness, and will be resumed at a later day. Each of the Hornets' two losses thus far have been by one run. Sacramento State concludes the three-day tournament tomorrow at 10:45 a.m. vs. Santa Clara.

The Broncos were playing their season opener in the win over the Hornets, and Montana dropped to 1-2 with the loss.

Nine different Hornets hit safely today, including a pair of hits from Natalie Alas and Shelby Johnston. Sacramento State used three pitchers in today's games, and each threw at least four innings, comprised of Kaitlyn Yerby (5.0 ip, 3 h, 1 r), Taylor Tessier (4.0 ip, 4 h, 1 r) and Celina Matthias (4.0 ip, 5 h, 2 r). Tessier, a transfer from Cabrillo JC, was making her Sacramento State debut in the circle.

VS. MONTANA

Sacramento State was trailing, 1-0, through four innings, but scored once in the fifth inning to tie, and four more times in the sixth to put the game away. The Hornets received a nice performance from Tessier, who allowed just one run and four hits over 4.0 innings while throwing 78 pitches.

After Montana opened the scoring with a run in the second inning, Sacramento State tied the game in the fifth after a wild pitch allowed pinch runner Nicole Miller to score. That run mercifully snapped a 19-inning scoreless streak for Sacramento State's offense that included last night's halted game against UC Davis.

That run seemed to spark the Hornets as the team put together a sixth inning that included four runs and five hits. Three of those runs came after two outs had been recorded. Johnston and Sasha Margulies began the inning with singles before a Kortney Solis sacrifice fly gave the Hornets their first lead of the game. Later in the inning, with two outs, Alexxiss Diaz, Nikki Gialketsis and Sydney Rasmussen followed with consecutive hits, including an RBI-single from Gialketsis and two-run double from Rasmussen.

Matthias, who entered the game in the fifth inning, allowed two Montana runs in the seventh but picked up her first victory of the season. The sophomore allowed five hits and two runs while striking out three in 3.0 innings. Tessier and Matthias combined to allow nine Montana hits, but the Grizzlies stranded eight runners on base.

Montana's Meggie Reitz (0-2) picked up the loss, allowing three hits and three runs in 5.1 innings of work.

VS. SANTA CLARA

In a game that included numerous missed scoring opportunities for the Hornets, it was Santa Clara starter Micaela Vierra that tossed a five-hit shutout while throwing 110 pitches. Sacramento State left runners on base in every inning but the fourth, and finished the game with 10 runners left on base, 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-10 with two outs.

The Hornets stranded multiple runners in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings. No scoring chance was more better than when Sacramento State put runners at first and second with nobody out in the sixth, before Vierra retired the next three batters in succession to escape the jam.

The Broncos pushed their lone run across in the fifth inning when pinch hitter Gianetta France's RBI-double scored Taylor Bojorquez with what proved to be the game-winning run. France's ball was nearly caught by Johnston in center field, but the ball popped out of her glove on a diving attempt at the catch.

The Hornets pounded out five hits and got the benefit of a walk and three Santa Clara errors, but could not push a run across. Yerby (0-1) was the unlucky losing pitcher, as she allowed just three hits and one run with two strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Matthias threw a perfect inning of relief in the sixth inning.

For Sacramento State, Alas had the Hornets' lone multiple-hit game of the day as the freshman finished 2-for-4.