SOFTBALL TALLIES 13 RUNS AND 13 HITS; MERCY RULES RHODE ISLAND

3/7/2008

FRESNO, Calif. — Senior Amy Tompkins’ team-best three hits and four RBIs led a Sacramento State offensive attack that pounded out 13 runs and 13 hits in a 13-1 victory over Rhode Island in the first round of the Bulldog Classic Friday morning.

With the victory, Sacramento State won for the sixth time in the last seven games while improving to 10-6 overall this season. This morning’s game was the first of four the Hornets will be playing at the two-day tournament. Sacramento State will play each of its last three games against ranked opposition, including tonight against tournament host and 23rd-ranked Fresno State. The Hornets will then take on both 14th-ranked Houston and 16th-ranked DePaul tomorrow.

In this morning’s game, Sacramento State scored three runs in the first, one more in the second, four in the third, and five in the fourth as the game was stopped after five innings because of the eight-run mercy rule.

The Hornets have now mercy ruled three of their last six opponents, and the team’s high-powered offense has a .315 batting average and has recorded at least eight runs on seven occasions this season. In addition, the team has now scored at least 13 runs three times this year, the second time that has happened for the Hornets' offense during the Div. I era (1990-pres.), matching the previous high set in 2006.

Tompkins finished the game 3-for-3 with a walk, three runs and a career-high four RBIs. She had an RBI-single in the second, a two-run single in the third and an RBI-single in the fourth inning. Seven different Hornets had at least one RBI, including Whitney Loomis (1-for-2 with two RBIs), Rachel Miles (2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI), Kayla Meeks (1-for-2 with a triple and two RBIs), Teri Ann Caoagan (2-for-3 with an RBI), Amanda Meyer (2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI) and Hilary Johnson (2-for-2 with a triple, two runs and RBI).

Meeks (5-3) won her third straight decision, allowing just five hits and one unearned run in five innings of work.

Stacey Stanovich (0-4) got the loss for Rhode Island, allowing nine hits and eight runs in 3.0 innings.