In their opening game of the Mustang Classic on Feb. 19 against the Cal Poly Mustangs, the Sacramento State Hornets came out swinging and set the tone with the top of their lineup. 

Senior outfielder Lafulafu Malepeai showcased patience and discipline at the plate, drawing a 3-2 walk to become the leadoff runner and create the first spark of the inning. A bunt laid down on the left side of the field from junior shortstop Madi Mendoza left Cal Poly’s defense scrambling and unsure how to make the play. 

Sophomore outfielder Saskia Raab took advantage of the early chaos, hitting a groundball to the shortstop that found its way through the infield and ended up on the grass Malepeai showed off her speed, scoring from second base to record the first run of the game and give the Hornets an early edge. 

Sac State kept the pressure on in the third inning, extending their lead and building momentum. Mendoza worked another 3-2 walk, again highlighting the Hornets’ patience and discipline at the plate. Raab followed with a sharp line drive to left field, moving Mendoza into scoring position. 

Senior catcher Katie Marsh was able to find a gap between center field and right field to score Mendoza from second base with a single. The next batter, sophomore third baseman Madison Evers-Lyles, put it on the ground to the shortstop, scoring Raab at third. 

Cal Poly’s pitching shut down Sac State’s lineup after giving up two runs with two quick outs to get out of the inning. The Mustangs’ pitching staff got sophomore catcher Shannon Garcia swinging for the first out. Then junior first baseman Malissa George hit a groundball to the third baseman, which forced Marsh out at second base. 

The Hornets were able to come out of the third inning strong with a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the third, junior pitcher Alexa Ortiz allowed her first hit of the game. Until that point, she had kept Cal Poly’s lineup off balance, consistently locating her curveball on the outside corner of the plate. Even after the hit, Ortiz remained composed and limited the damage. 

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After surrendering the hit, which was preceded by a walk and followed by a fielder’s choice then another walk, Ortiz navigated a bases-loaded jam with one out. Cal Poly brought in a run off of a sacrifice fly, but Ortiz held her own and prevented the inning from unraveling. She closed the inning by inducing a fly out to center field, escaping with just one run allowed and preserving Sac State’s lead. 

While the Hornets’ offense set the pace early, Ortiz’s complete game dominance anchored Sac State from the circle, allowing just two hits, one run and striking out six batters over seven innings.

The sixth inning added insurance for the Hornets. Sac State played a small-ball game again, capitalizing on the walks handed to them. 

A sacrifice bunt from sophomore outfielder Karissa Avila put freshman infielder Ava Medellin in scoring position after she walked to open the inning. Malepeai followed that up with a shallow fly ball over the shortstop, bringing in a run and extending Sac State’s lead to 4-1. The Hornets’ combination of timely hitting and situational adaptability kept Cal Poly at a far reach. 

Sac State broke the game open for good in the seventh inning, sealing the win. Raab led off the frame with a line-drive single to left center, keeping the momentum from the prior inning going.

Evers-Lyles stepped into the box and needed just one pitch to make her impact. On the first pitch, she sent a towering drive high and deep over the left-field fence. The home run scored both her and Raab, extending Sac State’s lead to 6-1 and putting the game entirely out of reach. 

The defense shut down Cal Poly’s lineup with a double play to end the game, giving Sac State a 6-1 win over Cal Poly. 

With the win, Sac State improved to 9-2 overall, extending their winning streak to four games. They’d win the following three games in the Mustang Classic on Feb. 20-21 against the Manhattan Jaspers, the San Jose State Spartans and the University of the Pacific Tigers. 

The Hornets now ride a seven-game winning streak into the final game of the tournament. At 12-2, this is their best record to open a season since 1995.

Sac State will close out the Mustang Classic at home against the University of the Pacific on Feb. 25 at 2:30 p.m.