Sophomore Nicole Deatherage |
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Freshman Lesley Mayhorn went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and sophomore Nicole Deatherage threw a one-hit shutout to lead the Sacramento State softball team to an 8-0 victory over Cal Poly in the second game of a Big West Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Bob Janssen Field. The Mustangs defeated the Hornets in game one, 1-0.With the split, Sacramento State is now 16-28 overall and 5-12 in the Big West. Cal Poly moves to 23-24 and 6-11 in the conference. Game two lasted just five innings as the Hornets'' offensive output instituted the eight-run mercy rule.
In the night cap, Mayhorn recorded career highs in both hits (three) and RBIs (four) while also tallying her first double of the season. Sophomore Amber Dragomir (2-for-3, two runs), senior Cathy Coupar (2-for-4), junior Jillian Bivert (2-for-3, two runs) and senior Lori Meixner (2-for-3, including a double) also contributed multiple-hit games for the Hornets. Meixner has now hit safely in four of her last five games.
Deatherage (9-7) picked up the win after facing just two batters over the minimum. The sophomore allowed just one hit while walking one in five innings of work.
Sacramento State got things going in the third inning with four runs. A Bivert RBI-single, a two-run double by Mayhorn and an RBI-single from Erin Coyne accounted for the scoring. Coyne''s single scored Mayhorn who collided with Cal Poly catcher Erin Myers. The throw had beaten Mayhorn to the plate, but she knocked the ball out of Myers'' glove during the collision. Myers had to leave the game with a concussion and was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons.
The Hornets added three more runs in the fourth on a two-run single from Mayhorn and a throwing error allowing Mayhorn to score later in the inning. Sacramento State scored its final run in the fifth on an RBI-single from Dragomir. The Hornets'' win snapped a season-high eight-game losing streak and the team''s 13 hits were the second-largest output of the season.
In the first game, Jamie Gelbart (7-2) limited the Hornets to just three hits while striking out two. Sacramento State left five runners on base, which included stranding runners at first and second in the seventh inning. Bivert (5-13) picked up the loss despite allowing just one run and five hits through seven innings.
Carrie Schubert''s fifth-inning RBI-single proved to be the game''s only run as both teams combined for just eight hits in the contest. The Hornets had runners at second and third with one out in the fourth inning, but could not score. With one out, Coyne grounded to second baseman Kasey Poet who gunned down Dragomir at the plate. Gelbart then got Ali Norman to bounce out to end the inning.
With two outs in the seventh, Coupar singled and Mary Villalpando followed with a walk before Gelbart got Meixner to ground out to end the contest. Coupar was the only player in the contest with two hits as the senior finished 2-for-3.
Sacramento State and Cal Poly play the rubber game of their three-game series tomorrow (Sunday, April 28).
