Sacramento State has now gained a split in each of its six conference doubleheaders this season. The Hornets, who have now split two doubleheaders against Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara and San Diego, moved their record to 27-18 overall and 6-6 in the PCSC. San Diego remains in second place in the league standings with a 20-18 overall record and an 8-4 conference mark.

Per PCSC rules, Sacramento State was the designated home team in both games of today’s doubleheader despite the games being played at the USD Softball Complex in San Diego.

The Hornets sit 3.5 games back of first-place Portland State (8-1) with eight games remaining on the schedule. Sacramento State still has four-game series remaining with Saint Mary’s (1-11) next weekend and Portland State the following weekend (May 6-7) in Sacramento.

In the second game of today’s double dip with San Diego, Cervantes struck out 12 batters while walking just two in seven innings of work. She improved to 11-4 this season, tying teammate Nikki Cinque for the team lead in victories. Cervantes did not allow a San Diego runner past second base during the entire game, which included striking out the side in the fifth inning.

The Hornets got on the board in the first after a wild pitch allowed Hilary Johnson to score, and tallied two more runs in the second when Schloredt’s two-run single scored Lindy Winkler and Britany Crine. With two more RBIs, Schloredt improved her season total to 35, which ties the Sacramento State Div. I (1990-pres.) single-season record. In addition, Schloredt has 25 walks and six home runs this season, two shy of the school’s Div. I record in both categories.

Crine finished the game 2-for-2 with a run and a walk, as she was the only player on either side with a multiple-hit game.

The first game lasted nearly three hours (2:55) and featured a combined 17 runs, 23 hits and 17 runners left on base. The Toreros entered the top of the seventh trailing by a run, but scored four times off Hornet pitchers Cinque and Jennifer Fryou.

A throwing error by Fryou in the seventh opened the flood gates and allowed San Diego to score three unearned runs. The big blow came on a two-out, three-run triple from Ashlee Nunes that gave San Diego a 9-6 lead.

Sacramento State mounted a two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh, scoring twice on RBI-singles from Johnson and Winkler. The Hornets then had runners at first and second with two outs, but San Diego’s third pitcher of the game (Christina Haake) induced Amy Tompkins to ground out and end the contest.

The game featured five lead changes as Sacramento State scored four times in the second, two in the sixth and two more in the seventh. In the second, the first five Hornets of the inning reached base safely and four different players had RBIs (Amy Jo McKenzie, Winkler, Schloredt and Cinque).

After San Diego took a 5-4 lead, Sacramento State again bounced back with two runs in the sixth, which included McKenzie’s second home run of the season and an RBI-single from Cinque.

That set up the top of the seventh where San Diego sent eight batters to the plate. After Cinque allowed a Sara Mason single to open the seventh inning, she was replaced by Fryou. A single and a throwing error later, San Diego had tied the game and had runners at second and third with no outs. Fryou then struck out the next two batters before Rebekah Bradford walked and Nunes followed with what proved to be the game-winning triple.

For Sacramento State, Winkler (2), Cinque (2), McKenzie (2), Schloredt (1) and Johnson (1) each finished with RBIs. Fryou (2-3) picked up the loss, allowing two hits and three unearned runs in an inning of work. Cinque worked the first six-plus innings, allowing nine hits and six runs (five earned).

Winkler, who raised her season batting average to .423 with three hits in the doubleheader, is now just two stolen bases and three runs shy of setting the Sacramento State Div. I single-season record in both categories. The current record of 40 runs was set by Winkler in 2003. She also has 13 doubles this year, which is a new single-season record.