HONOLULU -- Sacramento State's offense combined for just three runs over two games, as the team fell to both Utah Tech (6-2) and Hawaii (2-1) on the third and final day of the Hawaii Spring Fling on Saturday evening.
The Hornets complete the three-day tournament with a 3-3 record. Sacramento State won its first three games of the event, but dropped its final three. That included two-game splits with CSU Bakersfield and Utah Tech, a win over Western Illinois, and loss to host Hawaii.
Sacramento State is now 6-4 overall, after playing six games over three days in Honolulu. The trip to Hawaii was the team's first since 2018.
The Hornets had 10 hits against Utah Tech, but mustered just two runs as Sacramento State stranded eight runners on base. In the loss to Hawaii, a controversial call helped decide the outcome. With the Hornets trailing, 2-1, in the sixth inning and runners at second and third with one out,
Andrea Lira lifted a fly ball to the outfield. Hawaii right fielder Kayara-Leigh Tuiloma caught the ball and threw home to nab
Karissa Avila who had tagged from third. The Hornets felt Avila was safe, and an argument from head coach
Lori Perez came to no avail.
Nikki Barboza (vs. Utah Tech) and
Katie Marsh (vs. Hawaii) both hit home runs, and Marsh now has a team-best four round trippers while Barboza has three. The Marsh blast was a solo shot in the first inning against the Rainbow Wahine, but wound up the only Hornet run of the night.
After finishing with 10 hits against Utah Tech, Sacramento State was limited to a season-low four against Hawail. Rainbow Wahine pitcher Macy Brandl and Hornet lefty
Caroline Evans both threw complete games. Brandl allowed just four hits and one run with a walk and seven strikeouts in seven innings. She threw 87 pitches and struck out the side in the seventh.
Evans threw her second complete game this season, allowing just four hits with two runs (one earned) with a walk and four strikeouts. Both teams scored a run in the first inning, but Hawaii's was unearned. The Rainbow Wahine scored again in the third, and neither team scored in the final four innings.
Marsh and
Shannon Garcia were the lone Hornets with hits in both games.
Andrea Lira went hitless today, and saw her career-high 16-game hitting streak come to an end.
In the loss to Utah Tech,
Gwen Ludwig,
Lafulafu Malepeai, Marsh and Barboza all had two hits apiece as the foursome combined for eight of the team's 10 hits. Besides a Barboza solo homer in the fourth inning, Sacramento State also had an Evans sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Kennedie Magorian tossed her third complete game in three starts, throwing all seven innings. The game was scoreless the first three innings, before Utah Tech scored four times in the fourth. The Hornets scored single runs in the fourth and sixth, and the Trailblazers tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh.
Sacramento State completes its season-long nine-game road trip next weekend when the Hornets play a three-game series at Cal Poly (Feb. 22-23). The following week, the Hornets play home games on four straight days (Feb. 26-Mar. 1), which includes co-hosting the Capital Classic (Feb. 28-Mar. 2).
