Coupled with yesterday’s results, Sacramento State and Santa Clara split the four-game conference series. The Hornets improved to 23-16 overall and 4-4 in the PCSC while the Broncos’ record is now 15-26 and 4-4. Per PCSC rules, Santa Clara was the designated home team for both games of the doubleheader despite playing in Sacramento.

Sacramento State has 12 conference games remaining on the schedule, beginning next weekend at San Diego. Portland State, which had three games postponed this weekend with Loyola Marymount because of rain, remains in first place with a perfect 5-0 conference record.

In today’s nightcap, Cervantes (10-4) carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Angela Kabanuck began the inning with a double. Cervantes, who also allowed a single in the seventh inning, struck out eight batters while winning her fifth-consecutive start. Against PCSC competition, Cervantes is now 4-0 with a 0.78 ERA, limiting the opposition to a .124 batting average.

After Liz Courter tossed a one-hit shutout in the first game of today’s doubleheader, she started the second game as well. Miles got the Hornets on the board against Courter in the second inning, clubbing her first intercollegiate home run over the left field wall for a 1-0 lead.

Sacramento State added to its lead in the fourth inning after Winkler hit a home run that cleared the right-field wall by a good 20 feet. The senior, who is now hitting .433 this season and .542 against PCSC competition, then added a two-out, two-run single in the sixth inning. Winkler finished the game 3-for-4 with one run and three RBIs. Miles finished the game 2-for-3 with a walk, and raised her season RBI total to 15.

Courter (7-11) got the loss, allowing four runs and seven hits in six innings. Sara Overmier pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief.

In the first game, Courter allowed just one hit during the entire contest, a double to Jamie Schloredt which led off the fourth inning. Courter walked three and struck out seven.

The Hornets advanced a runner to second base in both the fourth and sixth innings, but could not score. Sacramento State starter Jennifer Fryou matched Courter pitch for pitch through the first five innings, as Fryou carried a no-hitter into the sixth.

However, Santa Clara broke through in the sixth as Shannon Linerud led off the sixth inning with a single up the middle. After being sacrificed to second base by Angela Kabanuck, Linerud scored on Jessica Clee’s double.

Linerud’s single and Clee’s double were the only hits all day off Fryou, and were all the run support Courter would need. Fryou (1-1) got the loss, allowing just two hits and one run while striking out three over six innings.

Winkler had her nine-game hitting streak snapped after going 0-for-1 with two walks. Sophomore Hilary Johnson, who is batting .327, missed all four games of the series with a sprained knee.

Sacramento State returns to action on Wednesday, April 19, when the team travels to UC Davis for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. The Hornets have defeated the Aggies on nine-straight occasions, including two times earlier this season in Sacramento.