MORAGA, Calif. -- Saint Mary's pitching staff limited the Hornets to just nine hits and one earned run over 14 innings as the Gaels swept a pair of tightly contested contests on Friday afternoon at Cottrell Field. Sacramento State dropped the first game, 2-1, before falling in the nightcap, 3-2.

The Hornets have now dropped four straight while falling to 2-5. Of those five losses, three have come against Saint Mary's. That includes Sacramento State splitting a home doubleheader with the Gaels last weekend. Saint Mary's improved to 4-2 with today's victories.

Sacramento State could have just as easily won both games today, as the team took a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning of Game 1, and squandered numerous chances to score in the nightcap. In that second game, the Hornets left 10 runners on base while going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Sacramento State's pitching staff threw well, allowing just nine hits and four earned runs over 12.0 innings. That includes Alyssa Nunez, who came on in relief in both games, combining to allow just one hit and no runs in 3.1 innings. Marissa Bertuccio (2-2) took a tough luck loss in the opener, allowing three hits and one earned run over 5.2 innings.

Offensively, Sacramento State was 9-for-52 (.173) today with two doubles and three RBIs. Alondra Mejia combined for three hits, Shea Graves had a pair of knocks, and Lewa Day was 1-for-3 with three walks and a hit-by-pitch. Senior outfielder Charizma Guzman, who was 5-for-9 last week, had to miss both games today with injury.

GAME 1

In the opener, the Hornets had just one hit against Saint Mary's starter Sofia Earle, and that came on a two-out RBI-single from Mejia scoring Day in the second inning. That second-inning infield single was the Hornets' only hit as Earle was dominant throughout, striking out 11 batters over seven innings.

Bertuccio was cruising along until the sixth inning when some of bad luck and a Sacramento State error allowed the Gaels to score twice. Sasa Koria was jammed badly and opened the inning with a perfectly placed bloop infield single that was fielded before it got to the second base bag. After retiring the next two batters, Bertuccio gave up an RBI-double to Marissa Montelongo, and a costly Sacramento State error on the next batter allowed Montelongo to score.

Sacramento State was set down in order in the seventh. Earle, who took the loss against the Hornets last Saturday, improved to 3-1 while allowing just one hit and an unearned run over seven innings. Bertuccio (2-2) got the loss despite yielding just three hits and two runs (one earned) with five strikeouts. Alyssa Nunez threw a third of an inning or relief work.

GAME 2

Sacramento State had numerous opportunities to score during the first five innings but could only cash in two runs. The Hornets had the bases loaded with one out in the first inning but failed to score, runners at second and third with one out in the third but could not score, and stranded two runners aboard in the fourth and three more in the fifth. The Hornets outhit the Gaels, 8-6, but stranded 10 runners on base.

The Hornets got on the board first in the second inning when a two-out RBI-single from Graves scored Mejia. However, Saint Mary's bounced back with a run in the third, and two more in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.

Sacramento State closed the gap to 3-2 with a bases loaded walk to Aliyah Robles in the fifth, but could not do further damage. Earle, once again, was dominant. This time in relief, as she earned her first save while retiring all seven batters she faced with three strikeouts.

Carley Morfey, Skylar Mitchell and Alyssa Nunez all pitched while Morfey (0-2) took the loss after working the first three innings. Nunez was solid, allowing just one hit and facing the minimum number of batters in three innings of relief.

Graves and Mejia both had two hits while Day, Robles, Katie Vretzos and Kailie Hargis had one hit apiece.

Sacramento State is back in action tomorrow when its hosts Cal for a single game at noon.