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\u2022 Sacramento State (24-14, 3-3) will play its first three Big Sky Conference games at home when the Hornets host Montana (14-24, 4-2) for a three-game series Friday and Saturday. The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday at noon, followed by a single game Saturday at 11 a.m.
\n\u2022 Originally, the two teams were supposed to play Saturday at noon, but the game was moved to 11 a.m. to accommodate Montana’s travel plans (which changed because of a canceled flight).
\n\u2022 Rain is in the forecast, and there is a chance all of the game times could change as the two teams will work diligently to play games around the inclement weather patterns.
\n\u2022 Friday will mark the Hornets’ first Big Sky home games as the team played each of its first six league games away from home. That includes taking a series (2-1) last week at Weber State.
\n\u2022 Every game of the series will be streamed on ESPN+ with Will Schilling on the call. Reminder all games played in a Big Sky venue will be on ESPN+.
\n\u2022 Sacramento State and Portland State will both be playing their first conference home games this week. Montana and Idaho State played each of their first six league games at home.
\n\u2022 Each team plays five conference series, and Sacramento State will get just two of those at home. That includes April 24-25 vs. Portland State.\u00a0
\n\u2022 Through two weeks, there is a three-way tie for first place in the conference standings with Idaho State, Northern Colorado and Montana all at 4-2. The Hornets are 3-3, but keep in mind all of those games came on the road, and six of the team’s final nine will come at home.
\n\u2022 The Hornets are 10-7 at home this season, and will be playing at Shea Stadium for the first time since an 11-4 win over UC Davis on March 24. In that game, third baseman Madison Evers-Lyles<\/a> tied school records with three home runs, seven RBIs and four hits.
\n\u2022 Including a sweep of MSU-Billings on Tuesday, Montana has won nine of its last 11. The Griz swept Portland State to begin the season, before dropping two of three to Northern Colorado.
\n\u2022 Sacramento State has dominated the series with Montana. The Hornets are 32-6 all-time against the Griz, which includes a current 14-game winning streak. Montana has not defeated Sacramento State since a 5-0 Big Sky Tourney win in Ogden during the 2021 season.
\n\u2022 The Hornets are 14-2 vs. Montana at home, including 10 straight wins at Shea Stadium. The last home loss to the Griz came on April 9, 2017 – a 3-2 loss.
\n\u2022 On Monday, right-hander Alexa Ortiz<\/a> was named the Big Sky Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time this season, the most by a Hornet hurler since Marissa Bertuccio (five times) in 2023.
\n\u2022 Ortiz has been the ace for a Sacramento State pitching staff that ranks 14th in the nation with a 2.56 ERA, not to mention 37th with a 1.35 WHIP. The Hornets have four pitchers with sub-3.00 ERA’s – Kyndal Williams<\/a> (0.55), Danyelle Leone<\/a> (1.63), Ortiz and Kennedie Bacon<\/a> (2.81).
\n\u2022 Among pitchers averaging at least one inning per game, Ortiz’s 1.63 ERA is the 21st best mark in the nation. She has pitched in a team-high 19 games this season (16 in relief).
\n\u2022 Outfielder Lafulafu Malepeai<\/a>, currently riding an 11-game hitting streak, enters the week leading the Big Sky in home runs (13), RBIs (36), walks (27), slugging percentage (.821), on-base percentage (.521) and OPS (1.342). She is one of three Hornets to start all 38 games, and has hit safely in 29 of those contests. In addition, Malepeai has reached base safely in 21 straight games. She has multiple hits in each of her last five games, and is hitting .600 vs. Big Sky competition. In addition, she is hitting a whopping .563 (18-for-32) with runners in scoring position.
\n\u2022 The Hornets are 14th in the nation with 30 sacrifices, and shortstop Madi Mendoza<\/a> has nine of those sacrifices. Speaking of Mendoza, her 96 assists rank 18th in the country.
\n\u2022 The Hornets are missing four injured starters, including three players that would be hitting in the middle of the lineup – catcher Katie Marsh<\/a>, outfielder Andrea Lira<\/a>, and first baseman Alexa Carino<\/a>.
\n\u2022 Sacramento State is 16-2 when scoring first\u202619-0 when leading after the sixth inning\u202619-1 when outhitting their opponent\u2026the Hornets’ 12 runs in the first inning at Weber State were second most in an inning in program history, trailing only 13 runs (4th) vs. Miami University in 2006.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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