For Katz, a Los Angeles, native, it was his first complete game on the year. He held the Wolverines to just one run on seven hits, while striking out five batters. Katz’s current ERA is 4.24 and he leads the staff in innings pitched (63.2) and strikeouts (48).

The Hornets, who are on a three-game winning streak, have won six of their last seven and are now 14-20-1 on the season. Utah Valley State falls to 11-26.

In its last seven games, Sacramento State has been batting .298 from the plate, while holding opponents to a .229 batting average. Things were no different against the Wolverines, with the Hornets delivering 11 hits.

In the first inning it was junior Brian Blauser who doubled down the left field line to score senior Jim Strombach. Blauser was one of three Hornets to double on the afternoon. Senior Brett Flowers then singled to score Blauser. Flowers, a Huntington Beach, Calif., native is currently on a six-game hitting streak and is batting .311 on the season. He finished his day 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run.

Sacramento State has now outscored opponents 34-18 in the first inning this season. The Hornets added their third run in the fourth inning when freshman David Flores’ ground out scored senior Pedro Santiago.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Sacramento State added its fourth and final run when Santiago singled through the middle, scoring Flowers. Santiago was 2-for-4 on the afternoon with one RBI and one run. The Fairfield, Calif., native has also batted .417 in his last four games.

Also having solid games at the plate was junior Brian Conradi. The Bakersfield, Calif., native went 2-for-4 on the day and is now on a six-game hitting streak. He also recorded his fifth double of the season and the Taft JC transfer is batting .529 in his last five games.

Freshman Taylor Watanabe made another start at second base and was 2-for-4 from the plate. The Aiea, Hawaii, native is batting .314 on the season, second on the team.

The Wolverines only run came in the top of the ninth inning, when Dan Bulow hit a solo shot over the center field wall.

Utah Valley State’s Kam Mickolio took the loss after facing just four batters in the first inning. He gave up two runs on three hits, but had to leave the game when Flowers’ single in the first inning struck him on his non-throwing arm.

Todd Bateman finished the game for the Wolverines, pitching 7.2 innings and allowing two runs on eight hits.

The four-game series continues Saturday at 11 a.m. with a double header between the two teams. Sunday’s game, the final of the series, will begin at 1 p.m. at Hornet Field. All the games can be heard on KSSU 1580 and hornetsports.com. To access the internet broadcast click on the Live Audio link at the top of the page and scroll down to baseball.