Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento State dropped a pair of games to Idaho State on Saturday afternoon to start a Big Sky Conference three-game series at Shea Stadium. The Bengals won the first game, 1-0, before taking the nightcap, 7-5. The two teams will play the series finale tomorrow at noon.

The Hornets (26-16, 10-4) needed one win today to clinch the Big Sky's regular season championship, but the Bengals (15-24, 7-4) were ready for the challenge. In fact, Idaho State is the only team in the six-member Big Sky that could catch the Hornets in the standings.

Sacramento State has just one Big Sky game remaining, and that will come tomorrow. Should the Hornets win that game, the regular season title, and No. 1 seed at the Big Sky Tourney (May 10-13 in Ogden, Utah) would go to Sacramento State.

However, if the Bengals win tomorrow, and win all three next week at Weber State, they would win the regular season outright. Also, an ISU victory tomorrow and winning two of three next week would mean the Bengals and Hornets would finish tied atop the standings. But ISU would own the tiebreaker.

Which means tomorrow is a huge game for both teams. Tomorrow is also Senior Day, as four Hornet seniors - Nevaeh Pinon, Rylee Gresham, Amber Rodriguez and Carley Morfey - will be honored prior to the game for their contributions to the program.

In the first game of today's doubleheader, ISU pitcher Jordan Schuring and the Hornets' Marissa Bertuccio were locked in a pitchers duel. Schuring (8-10) would be the eventual winning pitcher as she allowed just four hits with three walks and five strikeouts in seven innings. Sacramento State had its chances, stranding the bases loaded in the first inning, and failing to score with a runner at third base and no outs in the third.

The Bengals got their run on a perfectly executed double steal in the sixth inning with Angelica Cano swiping home. Bertuccio (14-7) went all seven innings, allowing just seven hits and one unearned run with no walks and six strikeouts. It was her first loss of the season to a Big Sky team and she is now 6-1 with a 0.28 ERA against league opposition.

In Game 2, Sacramento State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning, but the Bengals immediately responded with seven runs in the fourth. The Hornets committed two errors in the inning, and six of those runs were unearned. Sacramento State sliced the deficit to 7-5 in the sixth inning, but would not get closer.

The Hornets' three-run third inning was highlighted by an Alexis Parish RBI-double, and two-run double from Caroline Evans. Sacramento State's two runs in the sixth came on a Samantha Parish RBI-single and an ISU error allowing Evans to score.

Evans reached base safely in all three plate appearances (1-for-1 with two walks) and started in the circle, working the first four innings. She allowed just one earned run with a pair of strikeouts. Savannah Wahl worked the final three innings in relief, yielding just three hits without a run.

Morfey finished the day with three hits, while Leandra Coronado, Gwen Ludwig and Samantha Parish each finished with a pair of hits. Ludwig now owns a seven-game hitting streak.

NOTE - Tomorrow's Senior Day ceremony will begin at approximately 11:42 a.m.