Sacramento, Calif. - The Pacific softball team registered an 8-6 victory over the Sacramento State Hornets in a back-and-forth game on Tuesday afternoon at Shea Stadium on the Sacramento State campus. The Tigers improve to 5-9 on the young season with the victory while the Hornets fall to 3-7 after the loss at home.

Pacific used five runs in the first to innings to race to an early 5-0 lead it would not surrender, using single insurance runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to sink the Hornets. Senior Dani Bonnet picked up the victory to improve to 3-3 while Celina Matthias took the loss, falling to 1-4 on the season. Redshirt sophomore Carly Mortensen pitched the final two frames for the Tigers to pick up the Tigers' first save of 2015.

Pacific got on the scoreboard with a pair in the top of the first inning, as junior Sara Anderson led off with a single through the left side and with one out, junior Nicole Zapotoczny connected on her third home run of the season, a powerful shot past the left field fence to give the visitors the 2-0 advantage early in the contest.

Bonnet held Sacramento State scoreless in the bottom of the inning, striking out a pair. In the top of the second, senior Alex Steinmehl led off the inning with a double to left center and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. After freshman Rachel Sellers was hit by a pitch, sophomore Melina Huey reached on a fielding error, allowing Steinmehl to score from third and Sellers to advance. A wild pitch scored Sellers to make the score 4-0 in favor of Pacific while advancing Huey to third. Huey came in to score on a wild pitch as well and Pacific took the 5-0 lead into the bottom of the inning.

The Hornets scored on an RBI single by Marissa Maligad in the bottom of the second and after Pacific stranded a leadoff double from Zapotoczny in the top of the third, the Hornets added two more in the bottom of the third on a single by Alexa Chattleton and a double by Kortney Solis, pulling within two as Pacific held a 5-3 lead after three full.

A solo home run by junior Melanie Habib led off the fourth inning and after Bonnet held Sacramento State at bay in the bottom of the inning, Pacific added a run without the benefit of a hit in the fifth inning, as Habib laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to plate sophomore Cassidy Gustafson, who had walked, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch.

With the score 7-3 in favor of Pacific, Sacramento State added two on a Nikki Gialketsis double to pull within two at 7-5 in the bottom of the inning. Zapotoczny and Gustafson traded places with a pair of doubles in the top of the sixth to give Pacific back a three-run cushion at 8-5.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Hornets got a run across with a Shelby Johnston double against Mortensen, who entered after a leadoff hit by pitch of Paige Martin chased Bonnet from the contest and the score stood at 8-6 after six full.

After the eventful first six frames, the seventh inning featured the first perfect innings of the contest, as the Tigers were retired in order in the top half and Mortensen quickly retired the Hornets in the bottom of the half to send Pacific to a hard fought 8-6 road victory.

Zapotoczny led all Tigers with three hits, all for extra bases, while she joined double-play partner Habib with 2 RBI on the contest.

Bonnet pitched in and out of trouble, recording six strikeouts to just one walk in the win.

Sacramento State had 12 hits to just eight for the Tigers, who used power from the middle infield and some mistakes by the Hornets to register their second victory in a row.

Pacific will return to action on Friday as the Tigers host the 2015 Libby Matson Tournament at Bill Simoni Field. The Tigers first game will come against No. 18/17 Washington starting at 3:15 pm.