Big Sky Conference standings

MISSOULA, Mont. — Sacramento State had six extra base hits, including home runs from Kailey Olcott and Alexxiss Diaz, as the Hornets won the rubber game of a three-game series at Montana, 11-3, on Saturday afternoon. The two teams split a doubleheader yesterday.

With the victory, the Hornets improved to 15-14 overall and and 5-1 in the Big Sky Conference. That 5-1 record is tied for first in the conference standings with Weber State through the first two weeks of the league season. Sacramento State and Montana (13-18, 4-2) both began the season last weekend with three-game sweeps of their opponents. The Hornets have now won 13 of their last 19 games.

During the three-game series, Sacramento State's bats came alive as the team combined to hit .358 (34-for-95) with 20 runs, six doubles, a triple, five homers, 18 RBIs, a .600 slugging percentage and a .396 on-base percentage. The Hornets hit five home runs in three games after entering the series with two homers during the first 26 games of the season. That included the first career home runs in a Sacramento State uniform for Olcott, Diaz and Jessica Ravetti.

Olcott had a monster series, batting .636 (7-for-11) over three games with three runs, two homers, six RBIs and 14 total bases. Sasha Margulies also hit safely in all three games and batted .600 (6-for-10) with a home run and four RBIs. Margulies now has a six-game hitting streak while Olcott has hit safely in five consecutive games.

In addition, right-hander Celina Matthias picked up wins in both of Sacramento State's victories during the series, finishing 2-0 with a 3.50 ERA. She threw 14.0 innings in the series, posted two complete games and limited Montana to a .268 bating average.

In today's game, Sacramento State put up crooked numbers in the second (4), sixth (3) and seventh (3) innings, and finished with 11 runs and 13 hits. The Hornets saw four different Montana pitchers, and scored at least three runs against three of those hurlers. Four different Sacramento State players had multiple-hit games, including Olcott (3-for-4 with a double, home run and four RBIs), Margulies (3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI), Sydney Rasmussen (2-for-4 with two doubles and three runs) and Kayla Papez (2-for-4).

Of Sacramento State's six extra base hits today, two came from both Olcott and Rasmussen while Diaz (homer) and Zamari Hinton (two-run triple) also chipped in. Diaz's home run was her first in a Hornet uniform as the true freshman connected on a two-run shot to center field in a pinch hitting appearance in the seventh inning.

The Hornets never trailed, scoring a run in the first inning on an RBI-single from Olcott which scored Rasmussen and broke things open with the four-run second inning. In that second frame, Hinton had a two-run triple scoring Rasmussen and Kortney Solis, and, after a wild pitch eventually scored Hinton, Olcott connected on an RBI-double scoring Margulies.

Olcott had RBIs in the three different innings, including the first (1), second (1) and sixth (2). The two RBIs in the sixth came on a two-run homer to left field which scored Margulies. The home run was also the second in as many days for Olcott, who was cleared to play just three weeks after transferring midyear from Sacramento City College.

In the Hornets' three-run seventh, Diaz slammed a two-run homer to center which scored Solis, and an error allowed Shelby Johnston to score. Sacramento State had at least two hits in the first, second, third, sixth and seventh innings.

Matthias (10-9) picked up her career-high tying 10th win, allowing three runs (two earned) and seven hits over seven innings. For Montana, Maddy Stansby (1-7) got the loss, allowing three hits and four runs (three earned) in 1.1 innings.

Sacramento State returns to action for four games next week, including a non-conference home game on Tuesday against Pacific at 3:30 p.m. before jumping back into Big Sky play with a three-game series on the road against Northern Colorado on Friday and Saturday.