SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Freshman Nicole Deatherage threw a six-hit

shutout while leading the Sacramento State softball team to a 1-0

victory over UC Santa Barbara in a Big West Conference game Sunday

afternoon at Campus Diamond.

With the victory, the Hornets won two of three games against UC Santa

Barbara as the teams split a doubleheader yesterday. Sacramento State

improved to 12-21 overall and 2-4 in the Big West while UC Santa

Barbara dropped to 13-22 and 1-5 in the conference.

Additionally, the Hornets have now won three of their last four games

after enduring a season-long eight-game losing streak.

Deatherage, who had lost her previous seven decisions, struck out

three and walked one while improving her record to 6-9. The

right-hander did not allow a runner past second base all game and

pitched out of a first and second, one-out jam in the seventh inning.

The Hornets, who scored just one run despite nine hits, recorded the

only run of the game in the second inning after Meghan Cunningham's

RBI-single scored Jennifer Jokinen. Sacramento State left nine

runners on base and had two runners gunned down trying to steal bases.

Freshman Amber Dragomir, who has now hit safely in eight of her last

nine games, led all players with three hits and Jillian Bivert and

Andrea Becker both chipped in a pair of hits for the Hornets. UC

Santa Barbara starter Ashley Carroll (3-7) got the loss, allowing one

run and six hits in two innings of work.

Sacramento State returns to action next week as it plays a

non-conference doubleheader at Santa Clara on Wednesday, April 4,

before hosting a three-game Big West series against Cal State

Northridge on Saturday-Sunday, April 7-8.