STOCKTON, Calif. -- Sacramento State split a pair of low-scoring affairs on Friday afternoon at Bill Simoni Field, beating Pacific, 3-1, after losing to Iowa, 1-0.
The games were part of a two-day, three-team round robin tournament hosted by Pacific. Sacramento State will play the same two teams again tomorrow - vs. Iowa at 2:15 p.m., and vs. Pacific at 4:30 p.m.
The Hornets moved their record to 17-9 overall, and 11-7 away from home.
Sacramento State combined for just three runs and nine hits in today's games, but the pitching was masterful. The trio of
Marissa Bertuccio,
Caroline Evans and
Savannah Wahl combined to allow just 10 hits with seven strikeouts over 14.0 innings.
Despite a tough-luck loss to Iowa, Bertuccio was brilliant yet again. After allowing the Hawkeyes a run and three hits in the first inning, the right-hander held the Big 10 Conference lineup hitless the final six innings. All three Iowa hits were singles, and Bertuccio retired the final 14 batters she faced in succession. Despite her record falling to 8-3, Bertuccio lowered her season ERA to 1.80 and opponents are hitting .230.
Sacramento State got five base runners off Iowa hurler Jaylee Ojo - four walks and a double from
Alexis Parish. That double led off the second inning.
In the win over Pacific, Day had a monster game, finishing 3-for-4 with a run and all three of the Hornets' RBIs. That included an RBI-single in the first inning that put the Hornets up, 1-0. The score would remain the same until Pacific tied it in the sixth at 1-1.
That set up a seventh inning that saw
Kennedy Echols reach base via error to lead off. After the next two Hornets were retired, Day crushed the first pitch she saw well over the center field wall to give the Hornets a 3-1 lead. Day now has 138 career runs scored, and is just two shy of tying the program record.
Evans (4-3) went the first six innings, allowing five hits and one run to get the win. Wahl worked the seventh for her first save of the season.
Haley Hanson also had three hits and scored the Hornets' first run. Parish had a knock, and was the lone Hornet to hit safely in both games.
