With the victories, Sacramento State concludes the regular season with a 30-23 record and 12-7 mark in the conference. The Hornets finished in second place in the PCSC, marking their highest finish in the league standings (the PCSC began play in 2003). The Hornets also finished seven games above .500, the team''s best mark since 1997.

Sacramento State has now posted at least 30 wins in three-straight seasons and has a combined 92-77 record over that span. The Hornets could have even more wins this year had it not been for seven games being lost because of rain cancellations. In its 39th year of existence, the Sacramento State softball program has now accounted for 29 winning seasons compared to just 10 years below the .500 mark.

Loyola Marymount, which won the PCSC championship yesterday by sweeping a doubleheader from Sacramento State, finishes the regular season with a 34-18 overall record and a 16-4 mark in the conference. By virtue of their conference championship, the Lions will receive the league''s automatic berth into the NCAA Regionals, which begin on May 20. The NCAA will make its selections for the postseason tournament on Sunday, May 15. Sacramento State still has an outside shot at earning one of the tournament''s at-large berths.

In the first game, Ferguson pitcher her final start at Shea Stadium in impressive fashion. The senior right-hander allowed just one run and four hits while striking out 10 in seven innings. Ferguson (16-10, 1.19 ERA), who has been ranked in the top 30 in the nation in ERA the entire season, struck out 24 Lions in two starts this weekend. Ferguson''s only blemish in the game was a third inning solo home run from Krystal Kehr. Other than the home run, Ferguson did not allow a Loyola Marymount player to advance past second base.

Sacramento State scored both its runs in the third inning as the Hornets opened the scoring on Lindy Winkler''s RBI-single which scored pinch runner Ashley Dawson. With runners at first and third and two outs, Winkler stole second base and LMU catcher Caylin Hornish''s throw to second sailed into center field allowing Johnson to score from third base.

Johnson finished with her fourth three-hit game of the season as the freshman finished 3-for-4. Winkler (2-for-3 with an RBI) and freshman Teri Ann Caoagan (2-for-3 with a double high off the center field wall) also finished with multiple-hit games for Sacramento State.

Kehr (4-4) picked up the loss for the Lions, allowing two runs and eight hits while striking out five in seven innings.

In the second game, the Hornets took an early 5-0 lead and hung on late to escape with a 5-4 victory. Sacramento State posted four runs in the first inning as the team sent nine batters to the plate. Gloria Toledo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for the Hornets’ first run and Amy Hillel followed with a sacrifice fly to make the score, 2-0. Sacramento State concluded its first-inning scoring on an RBI-single from Britany Crine and a wild pitch scoring Caoagan with the final tally of the inning.

The Hornets added one more in the fourth after Winkler walked with the bases loaded to force home pinch runner Kayla Williams. Loyola Marymount, however, mounted a rally in the sixth inning as the team responded with four runs. After an RBI-single from Lauren Hiramoto brought the Lions back within one run at 5-4, Loyola Marymount had runners at second and third with two outs before Sacramento State starter Nikki Cinque got Tracy Cook to line out ending the inning.

LMU then opened the seventh inning with consecutive singles from Margo Pineda and Danielle Kaminaka. At that point, Sacramento State brought in Ferguson to relieve Cinque. Ferguson promptly retired the next three LMU batters in a row to pick up her first (and the team’s first) save of the season. Cinque (14-9) got the win, allowing nine hits and four runs (all unearned) in six innings of work.

Samantha Lavino (3-4) got the loss for Loyola Marymount, allowing five unearned runs and seven hits in 3.1 innings. Tiffany Pagano pitched the final 3.2 innings in relief, allowing just one hit while striking out three.

Sacramento State notables from the 2005 season....

• Hornet seniors Erin Coyne, Brianne Ferguson, Amy Hillel, Lesley Mayhorn and Jessica Rojo were each honored prior to the doubleheader for their contributions to the program.

• Winkler finished the season with a .379 batting average, one point shy of the school record (.380), set by Jenny Schultz in 1994. She also finished two hits shy of the school record for most hits in a season (68), set by Terrie Cissna in 1992.

• Johnson batted .643 (9-for-14) during the four-game series with Loyola Marymount, and finished the season hitting .304. That batting average is the highest for a Hornet freshman since the 2003 season when Winkler batted .330.

• Ferguson finished the year with a 16-10 record. She becomes the first Hornet with back-to-back seasons with at least 16 wins since Susie Bugliarello had 17 and 21 wins, respectively, in 1996 and 1997.

• Gloria Toledo’s 10 stolen bases were one shy of the Sacramento State Div. I (1990-pres.) program record of 11, held by three different players.

• Nikki Cinque’s 14 victories ties her for the 10th-most wins in the Hornet Div. I era.

• Three Sacramento State players finished with batting averages above .300 in conference play. They were comprised of Winkler (.381), Johnson (.369) and Mayhorn (.305).

• Sacramento State’s record of 16-8 at home is its best since posting a 16-6 record during the 1999 season.

• Among Sacramento State Div. I program records, the team''s offense finished first in hit-by-pitches (31) and second in stolen bases (47). The Hornet pitching staff finished second in walks allowed (83) and strikeouts (243). The team''s .566 winning percentage tied for the fourth-best mark in Div. I history.