SACRAMENTO -- Madi Mendoza, Faith Epperson and Madison Evers-Lyles each homered to help Sacramento State to a 9-6 win over Montana on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Shea Stadium.

Rain came down hard before the game, and about five minutes after the game concluded as the Hornets and Grizzlies fit seven innings in nicely between the precipitation. The victory gave Sacramento State (26-15, 5-4) the series win over Montana (15-26, 5-4). The winning team scored nine runs in each of three games as Montana won the opener, 9-6, before the Hornets won Game 2 by a 9-3 score and today's 9-6 victory.

Not only did Evers-Lyles open the game's scoring with a solo homer in the second inning, she also went 4-for-4 with a pair of runs and an RBI. It marked the second time this season she has notched four hits, which ties a Sacramento State Div. I era single-game record.

Evers-Lyles was part of a lethal foursome sitting atop the Hornet lineup. The Nos. 1-4 hitters of Mendoza, Epperson, Lafulafu Malepeai and Evers-Lyles combined to go 9-for-15 with six runs, a double, three home runs, four stolen bases and seven RBIs. 

That included Mendoza, who was 2-for-3 with three runs, a walk, homer and two RBIs. The shortstop had a huge series, hitting .727 (8-for-11) with eight runs scored, three doubles, a homer, two stolen bases and three RBIs. She was moved into the leadoff spot of the Hornets' lineup prior to Game 2 yesterday, and combined for six runs in those two games.

Epperson also had a big day, going 2-for-4 with a run, homer, stolen base and career-best three RBIs. Her two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth gave the Hornets some insurance, and stretched a 7-6 lead to 9-6. The Mendoza homer was also a two-run shot, and came in the fourth inning for a 7-1 Hornet lead.

The Grizzlies made things interesting by scoring three in the fifth and two in the sixth to close to within, 7-6, but the Epperson homer help put things away.

Kennedie Bacon (8-5) worked the first five innings to get the win, while Kyndal Williams notched her first save, tossing the final two innings. 

Shannon Garcia, Malissa George and Erin Garcia also had RBIs for the Hornets. Each of those RBIs came in the fourth inning when Shannon laid down a perfectly executed squeeze bunt scoring Evers-Lyles, George had an RBI-single, and Erin had a pinch-hit ground ball scoring her sister Shannon.

Through three weeks in the conference season, Sacramento State sits in a three-way tie for second place in the Big Sky standings with Northern Colorado and Montana. Idaho State is first with a 6-3 league record. 

The Hornets have two conference series remaining, including a huge three-game set next week (April 17-18) at Idaho State.