Sacramento State (14-6) lost for the first time this season at a neutral site as the team had entered the tournament with a 9-0 record in such games. With an overall record of 14-6, the team is still off to its best start since the 1995 squad opened the year with a 17-3 record. The Hornets will return to action tomorrow (Saturday, March 8) to take on Virginia Tech (10 a.m.) and San Jose State (2 p.m.) in the first round of tournament bracket play.

In the late game, Cal scored two runs in the third and fifth innings, and pitcher Kelly Anderson made the lead stand as she allowed just two hits over seven innings. Anderson (7-3) retired the first 16 batters of the game in succession before freshman Whitnie Darvell singled with one out in the sixth inning. Anderson allowed just one runner past first base while striking out seven. The hit by Darvell was also the first of her Hornet career.

Cal took advantage of four Hornet errors to score four runs, three of which were unearned. Sacramento State committed two errors in the third inning to allow the Bears two runs. The Hornets had trouble again defensively in the fifth as another error accounted for one of the Bears'' two runs to score. Cal, which had just four hits all game, scored its runs in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk to Courtney Scott and a sacrifice fly from Veronica Nelson.

Sophomore Brianne Ferguson (5-2) picked up the loss for Sacramento State, allowing four hits and four runs (one earned) while striking out a season-high eight batters in seven innings. Ferguson lost for the first time in her last nine appearances as the right-hander had won each of her last five decisions.

In Sacramento State''s first game of the evening, Minnesota exploded for all five of its runs in the third inning and cruised to a 5-1 victory. After the Hornets opened the scoring in the top of the first on a Minnesota error allowing Lindy Winkler to score with two outs, the Gophers responded with a big third inning.

Minnesota batted around in the inning, scoring five runs on six hits, highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of Jordanne Nygren. A Lindsey Erickson RBI-double and an Angie Recknor RBI-single accounted for the other two runs in the inning as Hornet starter Nicole Deatherage was pulled in favor of Gina Steenburgen after Recknor''s single.

The Hornets tallied nine hits in the game, but could muster just one run as the team left 10 runners on base. Sacramento State left at least one runner on base in every inning, including the bases loaded in the first inning, and two runners in both the sixth and seventh innings.

Junior Amy Walter led Sacramento State with two hits while seven other Hornets recorded one hit. Recknor (6-2) picked up the win for Minnesota, allowing nine hits and one unearned run in seven innings. Deatherage (6-3) took the loss, allowing five runs and seven hits in 2.2 innings. Steenburgen allowed just two hits in 3.1 innings of relief and has given up just two runs in 12.0 innings this season. Minnesota''s five runs tied for the most the Hornets have allowed an opponent all season (Pacific).