SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento State began the Big Sky Conference portion of the schedule in winning fashion, sweeping a home doubleheader over Northern Colorado on Friday afternoon at Shea Stadium. The Hornets won the first game, 7-2, before scoring five unanswered runs in the nightcap to win, 5-4.

The games were the first conference contests of the season for both teams. These same two teams will be back again tomorrow for a single game at noon to wrap up their three-game set. This series will be the first three of 18 Big Sky games for Sacramento State.

There were many highlights for the Hornets today, including:

• Both sophomore Marissa Bertuccio (6-7) and freshman Kelsey Alcantara (1-1) earned wins today in the circle. Bertuccio allowed just four hits and two runs with one walk and four strikeouts over seven innings in Game 1. She threw 109 pitches, lowered her season ERA to 3.21, and one of the Bears' runs was scored on a ball lost in the sun.

• Alcantara, a true freshman from Corona, Calif., earned her first collegiate win. She threw the final four innings of Game 2, allowing just three hits with a run and no walks. Alcantara needed just 54 pitches in her four innings of work, and entered the game with the Hornets trailing, 3-0.

• Sophomore Lewa Day clubbed two home runs, one in both games. Both were opposite field two-run shots. She finished the day 3-for-7 with three runs scored, two homers, five RBIs and nine total bases. Day now has a team-high five home runs and 13 RBIs this season, and is averaging one homer every 10.8 at-bats.

• Sophomore second baseman Rylee Gresham combined to go 4-for-5 with a double, walk and two RBIs. One of those hits may have been the biggest of the day. With the score tied at 4-4 with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 2, Gresham's single to right field scored Kailie Hargis to score what turned out to be the game-winning run.

• Carley Morfey had a big day, finishing 3-for-7 with a home run and three RBIs. The home run, a solo shot against the wind in the fourth inning of Game 2, cut the Hornet deficit to 4-3. Two innings later, Morfey connected on a two-out, RBI-double to left field scoring Aliyah Robles and tying the game at 4-4. That hit preceded the big hit from Gresham.

• Outfielder Haley Hanson combined for four hits and went 4-for-7 with a run scored and two stolen bases. The speedster now has a team-high six stolen bases this season, and 17 stolen bases in 47 career games.

• First baseman Alondra Mejia connected on her third triple of the season to lead off the fifth inning of the first game. Robles pinch ran for Mejia and eventually scored, allowing the Hornets to take a 4-2 lead. Mejia finished the day with two hits, and her three triples are already tied for the 10th best single-season mark in Sacramento State's Div. I era (1990-pres.).

• Despite playing on an injured ankle, Charizma Guzman had two more hits and scored a pair of runs. She also stole a base.

• Sacramento State stole four bases during the doubleheader.

• The Hornets trailed, 4-0, before scoring five times in the final four innings (three in the fourth, two in the sixth) in Game 2.

• The Parish sisters (Alexis and Samantha) both had hits today. Samantha's hit was a ringing double, and Alexis was 1-for-4 with two walks, a run scored and two RBIs.

• Shortstop Kennedy Echols covered a lot of ground today, sprinting to catch three popups behind the third base bag in the outfield grass. One of those sprinting catches came in foul territory to end Game 2 with the potential tying runner on base.

• Sacramento State improved to 8-15 overall and 2-0 in the Big Sky. Northern Colorado, which was coming off a pair of wins, dropped to 4-17 and 0-2 in league.