MISSOULA, Mont. -- Right-hander
Savannah Wahl tossed a seven-hit shutout and Sacramento State combined for six runs over the final three innings on the way to a 6-0 win over Montana on Saturday afternoon at Grizzly Softball Field.
The victory completes a three-game sweep for Sacramento State over Montana. The Hornets swept a doubleheader over the Griz yesterday, and are now 27-6 all-time against Montana.
Sacramento State won its fifth straight, and seven of the last eight, while improving to a season-high nine games over the .500 mark. The Hornets are 21-12 overall and 5-1 in the Big Sky Conference. Sacramento State remains in first place in the conference standings with nine Big Sky games remaining.
Wahl may very well be on the way to Big Sky Pitcher of the Week honors. The junior threw two shutouts this week, including a five-hit blanking of Nevada on Tuesday. Today, she scattered seven hits with just one walk and four strikeouts. Wahl needed 96 pitches to throw her third shutout of the season. All three of those shutouts have come over her last four starts.
Sacramento State's offense was held scoreless the first four innings, until breaking through with one run in the fifth, and five runs in the sixth. A
Samantha Parish sacrifice fly accounted for the Hornets' first run, before the sixth inning was highlighted by a two-run single from
Rylee Gresham, an RBI-single from
Leandra Coronado, and a sacrifice fly from
Alexis Parish.
The Coronado single extended her hitting streak to 11 games, the longest of the season by a Sacramento State player.
Six different Hornets had hits, including two from
Katie Marsh. Gresham, Coronado,
Lewa Day,
Carley Morfey and
Jada Walker had the other knocks. Both Marsh and Day had a double.
Sacramento State is back home next week for four games. That includes a Tuesday non-conference tilt with Cal at 4 p.m., followed by a three-game series vs. Weber State on Friday and Saturday. The Hornets and Weber State were selected as the co-favorites to win the Big Sky in the preseason coaches poll.
