With the victories, Sacramento State improved to 21-17 overall and 4-4 in the PCSC. San Diego dropped to 15-15 and 5-3 in the conference. Including yesterday’s doubleheader split between the two teams, Sacramento State won the series, 3-1.

Toledo went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI in both games. That included a home run in the first game which capped an 11 pitch at-bat that saw her foul off six-consecutive pitches before hitting the ball over the left-field wall. Toledo, who leads the team with 16 RBIs this season, raised her season batting average to .294. Ferguson, who started both games of the doubleheader, threw a two-hit shutout in the first game, before returning to allow just one run and two hits over five innings in the nightcap. The right-hander improved her record to 11-8 with a 1.20 ERA this season.

In the first game, Ferguson allowed just one Torero to advance past second base while facing just four batters over the minimum. San Diego’s only threat came in the fourth inning when the Toreros had runners at second and third with two outs, before Ferguson struck out Kim Delpit to end the inning. Ferguson walked none and struck out six as the shutout was her fifth of the season.

The Hornets scored their runs on Toledo’s solo home run in the fourth inning and a fifth-inning RBI-single off the bat of Hilary Johnson. Sacramento State finished the game with eight hits, including two each from Johnson and Toledo. Sophomore Amy Jo McKenzie had to leave the game in the fifth when she stepped on second base awkwardly after leading off the inning with a double. Ashley Dawson, who pinch ran for McKenzie, eventually scored on Johnson’s single.

In the second game, Sacramento State scored two in the first inning and four more in the sixth. The Hornets’ runs in the first inning came on an RBI-fielders choice off the bat of Erin Coyne and an RBI-single from Toledo. San Diego sliced Sacramento State’s lead in half in the fourth inning after Kathleen Bonja singled home Ashlee Nunes.

However, the Hornets were able to put the game away in the sixth inning as Johnson and freshman Teri Ann Caoagan each had two-run singles. Johnson finished the doubleheader with a combined three hits and a team-high three RBIs, while Caoagan is now hitting .313 with runners in scoring position.

Ferguson breezed through the first five innings before junior Nikki Cinque pitched the final two innings in relief, allowing just one hit while striking out one batter. Coyne and Toledo led the Hornets offense in the second game as both players finished with a pair of hits.

Sacramento State continues its 12-game homestand with a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 13, against third-ranked Cal at 2 p.m. The Hornets then resume PCSC play with a four-game series against Saint Mary’s on Saturday-Sunday, April 16-17.