SACRAMENTO -- Stanford pitching limited Sacramento State to just two runs and six hits over 14 innings on the way to a doubleheader sweep of the Hornets on Tuesday afternoon at Shea Stadium. The Cardinal won the first game, 4-2, before taking the nightcap, 5-0.

Stanford, which had been ranked 24th in the nation in all three major polls last week, improved to 29-12 with the victories. Sacramento State, playing its final non-conference games of the regular season, dropped to 22-20. Each of Sacramento State's final nine games of the regular season will come against Big Sky Conference opposition, including a three-game home series with Montana on Friday and Saturday.

Stanford's pitching staff entered today ranked 13th in the nation with a 1.87 team ERA, and dominated throughout today's games. The Hornet offense entered today batting .293 with 43 home runs, but Sacramento State could muster just four singles, a double and a home run over 14.0 innings against Cardinal hurlers Alana Vawter and Regan Krause. In fact, both pitchers retired the first 11 batters they faced before the Hornets secured their first hit.

Vawter improved to 18-7 with a 1.64 ERA in the complete-game win in the opener, and Krause improved to 8-3 with a 1.76 ERA after tossing a one-hit shutout in the nightcap. That one hit was a Lexie Webb single with two outs in the fourth inning. Sacramento State had just two base runners off Krause, including a Stanford error which allowed a Hornet runner aboard in the sixth.

Sacramento State scored both its runs in the sixth inning of Game 1, highlighted by Nikki Barboza's second home run of the season. A Webb ground ball would score Gwen Ludwig later in the inning. Webb was the only Hornet to have hits in both games, and Barboza extended her hitting streak to eight games before that streak was halted after she went 0-for-2 in Game 2.

The Hornets also had impressive performances in the circle today from two pitchers. That included Marissa Bertuccio who was dominant in allowing just four hits over seven innings in the opener. However, all four of Stanford's runs were unearned after three costly Sacramento State errors directly led to the tallies.

In the second game, Kelsey Alcantara was very good in relief, allowing just one hit and no runs with a strikeout in four innings. Stanford scored all five of its runs during the first three innings.

Offensively for the Hornets, Ludwig and Webb both finished with a pair of hits. Barboza and Milan Machado-Buckley had the Hornets' other hits.

On Friday, the Hornets will host Montana for a doubleheader on Friday at noon, followed by a single game on Saturday at noon. Sacramento State (6-3 in league) has won each of its first three conference series two games to one.