HONOLULU -- Nikki Barboza finished the day with five hits, two home runs and eight RBIs to lead Sacramento State to a pair of victories on the opening day of the Hawaii Spring Fling.

That included a 13-4 mercy rule shortened victory over CSU Bakersfield, and an 11-10 victory in eight innings vs. Utah Tech. Each of the last five Sacramento State games have ended in either the fifth or the eighth inning. Of the team's six games thus far in the season, only one has been a seven inning regulation game.

Sacramento State is now 2-0 at the three-day tournament (hosted by Hawaii), and improved to 5-1 overall this season. The team's 5-1 record matches the best start for the program in 30 years. The 1995 squad began 6-0. Coincidentally, last year's Hornet team also started with a 5-1 record.

Today's games saw Sacramento State combine for 24 runs and 19 hits, five home runs and 23 RBIs. That included a five-run fifth inning to help erase an 8-1 deficit against Utah Tech. In addition, against CSU Bakersfield, the Hornets posted a seven-run first inning, and a six-run fifth.

Barboza was incredible today, combining to go 5-for-7 with three runs, a walk, two homers and eight RBIs. Six of those RBIs came in the first game against Utah Tech where she helped the team overcome an 8-1 fifth inning deficit. That included the walkoff RBI-single in the eighth inning which scored Andrea Lira. Speaking of Lira, she hit safely in both games today, and now has a 14-game hitting streak dating back to last season.

Highlighting the 13-run uprising against Bakersfield was Caroline Evans' first career grand slam in the first inning, and the first career collegiate homers for both Madison Evers-Lyles and Jenna Birch in the fifth. Nine different Hornets had hits in the game as the team finished with 12 hits

Alexa Ortiz (1-1) threw three innings of relief to earn the win against Utah Tech, and Kennedie Magorian (2-0) went all five innings to get the victory over CSU Bakersfield.

A flood of milestones were achieved today:

• Barboza's four hits, two homers and six RBIs against Utah Tech were all career highs
• Evers-Lyles hit her first collegiate home run in Game 2
• Birch hit her first collegiate home run in Game 2
• Evans connected for her first career grand slam in Game 2
• Lira improved her hitting streak (dating back to last season) to a career-best 14 games
• Evers-Lyles, Alexa Carino, and Avery Brown collected their first collegiate hits
• Faith Epperson, a transfer from Yuba College, collected her first hit at the Div. I level
• Ortiz collected her first win in a Sacramento State uniform against Utah Tech

The Hornets return to action tomorrow when they take on Western Illinois at 12:30 p.m. PT, and CSU Bakersfield at 5:30 p.m. PT.