SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento State split today's doubleheader with Weber State, highlighted by head coach
Lori Perez earning her 300th career win in the nightcap. The Hornets dropped the opener, 4-3, before taking the nightcap by a 4-1 score.
Perez, in her 12th season, joins Kathy Strahan (576) and E.J. McConkie (300) as the three Hornet softball coaches to win 300 games. In addition, Perez now owns the second most wins of any active Sacramento State head coach in the athletics department.
The Hornets (22-19, 7-4) have won nine of their last 11 games, and remain in second place in the Big Sky Conference standings with four league games to play. Idaho State sits in first at 10-1, and Weber State (20-27, 6-5) is third.
In today's split,
Kennedie Magorian was impressive in the circle in the nightcap. The right-hander allowed just four hits and a run with eight strikeouts (one shy of a season high). At one point, the junior retired 10 straight batters between the third and sixth innings.
In that second game, both
Madison Evers-Lyles and
Alexa Carino hit home runs, with Evers-Lyles' shot breaking a 1-1 tie and giving the Hornets a 2-1 lead. Carino's blast made it 3-1 in the sixth. Both teams scored single runs in the first inning, and were held scoreless until the Evers-Lyles shot in the fifth.
After Carino's homer in the sixth,
Andrea Lira added one more run of insurance with a sacrifice fly scoring
Gwen Ludwig. That was more than enough run support for Magorian, who needed 107 pitches to notch her sixth complete game of the season.
Three Hornets homered during the doubleheader, including
Lafulafu Malepeai, who homered to lead off the first inning of Game 1. The Hornets scored single runs in the first and third to take a 2-0 lead. However, Weber State scored twice in both the fourth and fifth innings to take a 4-2 lead.
Sacramento State scored a run in the seventh inning (RBI-single from
Katie Marsh), but stranded the potential tying run at first base when
Caroline Evans' deep drive to center field was caught just in front of the warning track.
Malepeai and Evers-Lyles were the lone Hornets to register a hit in both games, and Lira saw her streak of 21 consecutive games reaching base safely come to a close in Game 2.
The teams will play the rubber game of the three-game series tomorrow at noon. Prior to the game, Hornet seniors Malepeai,
Nikki Barboza, Evans and Ludwig will be honored for their contributions to the program. The senior ceremony will start at approximately 11:47 a.m.
