RECORDS FALL AS SOFTBALL POUNDS VIKING PITCHING FOR 25 RUNS AND 37 HITS IN DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP

4/13/2008

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Junior Jamie Schloredt went a combined 7-for-7 with two home runs and nine RBIs to lead a Sacramento State offensive attack that tallied 25 runs and 37 hits in a Pacific Coast Softball Conference doubleheader sweep of Portland State on Sunday afternoon at Shea Stadium. The Hornets erased a six-run deficit to win the first game, 13-7, before taking the nightcap, 12-3.

In the doubleheader, Sacramento State’s offense hit a combined .507 (37-for-73) with nine doubles, four home runs, 24 RBIs, a .554 on-base percentage and a .795 slugging percentage. The Hornets set program single-game records for most hits (19 in the first game), most doubles (7 in the first game), most combined runs in a doubleheader (25) and most combined hits in a doubleheader (37). In fact, the Hornets had 19 hits in the first game and 18 more in the second game, while the previous school record for hits in a contest was 16.

Schloredt, a junior catcher from Woodland, Calif., hit everything in sight, finishing 7-for-7 with four runs, three doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs, two intentional walks, a sacrifice fly and a 2.286 slugging percentage. Schloredt, who has now homered in three straight games, raised her season home run total to nine, which is the new Sacramento State single-season record.

Junior Izmena Cabrera finished the doubleheader 6-for-9 (.667) with two doubles, one home run and seven RBIs, and her team-leading 37 RBIs are just five shy of the school single-season record of 42 (a mark set by Schloredt last season). In all, six different Hornets hit better than .425 during the doubleheader, comprised of Schloredt, Cabrera, Whitney Loomis (1.000, 5-for-5), Kayla Meeks (.556), Hilary Johnson (.500) and Jenice Bartee (.429).

Meeks (11-6) picked up wins in both contests, going the distance in the first game, and pitching 2.2 strong innings of relief in the second game.

With the sweep, Sacramento State (24-15, 6-2) won three of four games from Portland State, and now sits all alone in first place in the PCSC standings. The Vikings dropped to second place in the league standings, and now sit at 22-20 overall and 5-3 in the league.

With three weeks remaining in the conference season, Sacramento State will attempt to win its first PCSC title since the league began in 2003. The winner of the PCSC regular season championship receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Regionals, a place the Hornets haven’t been since 1995. Sacramento State has finished second in the conference each of the last three years.

“That first game was one of the greatest comebacks I’ve ever been a part of,” Sacramento State head coach Kathy Strahan said. “I feel like the team is on a mission (to win conference), and this is the best offense we’ve ever put together here. We control our own destiny to win the conference championship, and I like the way we’re playing.”

The first game saw the Hornets score 12 unanswered runs after falling behind 7-1 in the second inning. The Hornets had at least one hit in every inning, and at least two hits in every inning but the sixth. All but one Hornet starter had at least one hit, and seven starters had multiple-hit games, including Schloredt and Cabrera who both had three hits and four RBIs. Sacramento State pushed across runs in the first (1), third (3), fourth (2), fifth (4) and seventh (3) innings.

Amy Tompkins (2-for-4, 1 run), Johnson (2-for-5, 2 runs), Schloredt (3-for-5, 2 runs, 4 RBIs), Cabrera (3-for-5, 1 run, 4 RBIs), Meeks (3-for-4, 1 run, 3 RBIs), Bartee (2-for-4, 1 run, 2 RBIs) and Loomis (3-for-3, 3 runs) each had multiple-hit games. Tompkins, Schloredt, Cabrera (2), Meeks (2) and Loomis each had doubles, and Schloredt and Bartee hit round trippers.

Portland State was able to score seven runs (three earned) during the first two innings of the game off Hornet starter Meeks, including a grand slam in the first inning by Jana Rae Slayton. However, Meeks settled down impressively, allowing no runs and just one hit during the final five innings to get the complete-game victory. That included retiring 15 of the final 20 batters she faced.

Trailing, 7-1, the Hornets cut the lead to 7-4 in the third on a three-run double from Meeks, and got within one run (7-6) the next inning on a Schloredt sacrifice fly and an RBI-double from Cabrera. Sacramento State took the lead for good with four fifth-inning runs as both Bartee and Schloredt smacked two-run homers.

The Hornets got three runs of insurance in the seventh on a three-run double from Cabrera just after Schloredt had been intentionally walked.  Portland State’s Mandy Hill (12-12), who was the PCSC Pitcher of the Year two seasons ago, got the loss after allowing 14 hits and eight runs over 4.0 innings. Slayton accounted for all but one Viking run as she finished with two hits and six RBIs.

In the second game, the Hornets’ offense put up 12 more runs and 18 hits as every Sacramento State starter had at least one hit. The hit brigade was again led by Schloredt, who finished 4-for-4 with two runs, a home run, one walk and five RBIs. Johnson (3-for-5, 3 runs), Cabrera (3-for-4, home run, 3 RBIs), Meeks (2-for-5) and Loomis (2-for-2, 1 run, 1 RBI) also had multiple hit games for the Hornets.

Sacramento State found itself trailing, 3-2, before tying the game in the fifth inning and then unloading for six more runs in the sixth inning. Highlighting the sixth inning for the Hornets were a three-run double from Schloredt and a two-run homer from Cabrera.

Sacramento State pushed across three more runs in the seventh, as the team scored in every inning but the first and fourth. The Hornets faced three different Portland State pitchers and neither of the three had much success, as Nichole Latham (8-7) got the loss, allowing five hits and five runs in 3.1 innings of relief.

After Sacramento State received 3.1 innings from starter Megan Schaefer and 1.0 more inning from Brittani Clifford, Meeks was inserted into the game with the scored tied at 3-3 in the fifth inning. She proceeded to pitch the final 2.2 innings of relief, allowing just one hit with three strikeouts. In fact, after the second inning of the first game, Meeks went the next 7.2 innings (spanning both games) while allowing no runs and just three hits.

Sacramento State’s offense is now hitting .309 this season, which is the 19th best mark in the nation. If the season ended today, the .309 batting average would be 23 points better than any other season in school history (the team batted .286 in 2006).

Sacramento State returns to action next weekend (April 19-20) when the team travels to Los Angeles for a four-game series with Loyola Marymount. The team will play doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday at noon. Loyola Marymount was selected to finish first in the PCSC preseason coaches poll.