EUGENE, Ore. -- Saskia Raab's one-out grand slam delivered Sacramento State a dramatic 9-7 nine-inning victory over Nevada in the first round of the Jane Sanders Classic.

The Hornets, who also received a solo home run from Lafulafu Malepeai to tie the game at 4-4 in the seventh, improved to 17-4 overall this season. Sacramento State will play four more games at the tournament, including matchup this evening (6 p.m.) at 18th-ranked Oregon.

Nevada, currently ranked sixth in the nation in the mid-major poll, dropped to 14-8 and had its seven-game winning streak snapped.

With the tiebreaker rule in effect in extra innings, the Hornets loaded the bases with one out in the top of the ninth. That set the stage for Raab, who crushed the first pitch she saw well over the center field fence to give the Hornets a 9-5 lead. That was also the first collegiate home run for Raab, and it came against her former team as the sophomore transferred from Nevada during the offseason.

Malepeai's home run was her team-high eighth of the season, and it forced extra inning as the Hornets entered the final inning trailing by a run. The Hornets took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a Madison Evers-Lyles two-run single, only to see Nevada tie the score in the bottom half.

Sacramento State reclaimed the lead when Madi Mendoza scored on a wild pitch in the third inning, but the Wolf Pack scored two in the bottom half to take a 4-3 lead. Neither team would score again until Malepeai's home run.

In the eighth, with a runner placed on second to begin the frame, both teams scored again. That included a pinch-hit sacrifice fly by Karissa Avila. 

Alexa Ortiz (6-2) went the distance, striking out six in a career-high nine innings. The top three Hornet hitters in the lineup (Malepeai, Mendoza, Raab) combined to go 7-for-12 with six runs, a double, two homers, three walks and five RBIs. Raab had three hits against her former team, while both Malepeai and Mendoza had two.