POCATELLO, Idaho --
Saskia Raab crushed a walkoff grand slam in the fifth, and right-hander
Alexa Ortiz allowed just two hits and one run to lead Sacramento State to an 11-1 win over Portland State in the first round of the Big Sky Softball Tournament at Miller Ranch Stadium.
Raab's blast gave the Hornets a mercy rule victory, and advanced Sacramento State (31-18) to the second round of the double elimination tournament. The Hornets, who are the No. 3 seed, will play No. 2 Northern Colorado today at approximately 3:30 p.m. PT. Northern Colorado, along with top seed Idaho State, received a first round bye.
The Hornets' 31 victories are most since the 2019 season. Should the Hornets win another game, the 32 wins would be the most since 2008.
Raab's blast came on a 1-1 pitch, and easily cleared the center field fence as the Hornets finished the game with 11 runs and 10 hits. Seven Hornets had hits, and four had RBIs. Raab finished the game 3-for-5 with three runs, a homer and career-best five RBIs.
Portland State scored a run in the top of the first inning to take the early lead, but the Hornets scored 11 unanswered runs. That included three runs in both the first and fourth innings, and five more in the fifth.
Ortiz (11-8) allowed just two hits and one run while striking out three over five innings. In fact, Ortiz did not allow a runner past first base after the first inning.
Madi Mendoza went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, extending her hitting streak to a career-best 11 games.
Madison Evers-Lyles got the Hornets on the board with a two-run single.
Malissa George also finished with an RBI, going 1-for-1 with a run, RBI, and her sacrifice fly gave the Hornets a 3-1 lead in the first.
A Raab RBI-single and Mendoza RBI-double highlighted the scoring in the fourth inning.
