OREM, Utah – Utah Valley scored 11 runs over the first four innings of the game and starter Danny Beddes threw 142 pitches for a complete game victory in a 12-3 win for the Wolverines in the opener of a three-game series Friday night in Orem.

Junior Chris Lewis went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs for Sacramento State (18-14, 6-4 WAC), which dropped its fourth straight road conference game after opening WAC play at 6-0. Utah Valley (11-20, 7-3) moved ahead of the Hornets into third place in the league.

Lewis' third home run of the season, a solo shot in the fifth inning, moved him into a tie for the team lead in home runs and was the first homer hit by the Hornets on the road this season. Junior Nathan Lukes and senior Kyle Moses each had hits in the game to extend their reached-base streaks to 32 and 20 games, respectively. Sophomore Ryan Locke had an RBI as the designated hitter and made his first collegiate pitching appearance throwing the eighth inning.

Utah Valley's 12 runs, 15 hits, and seven walks were all season highs against the Hornets superb pitching staff, which entered the game ranked fourth in the nation with a 1.04 WHIP and were also in the top ten in hits and walks allowed per nine innings. The Wolverines scored a run in the first inning, five in the second, three in the third, and two in the fourth to open a big lead.

The Hornets took the early lead in the first inning on hits from Moses and Lukes and an RBI groundout from Lewis. The Wolverines got the run back in the bottom of the inning and after two quick outs in the second Utah Valley had six consecutive men reach on four singles, a double, a walk, and two stolen bases to score five times.

Utah Valley tallied three more runs in the third on an RBI double from Jordan Schlehuber and a two-run homer off the bat of Kade Andrus. The Hornets drew three consecutive walks to open the fourth inning and scored a run on a Locke groundout but the Wolverines tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the inning and added a final run in the eighth.

The Wolverines tallied six doubles in the game, three of which came from catcher Jake Atkinson. He was one of six UVU players with multiple hits in the game while seven players had RBIs. Beddes allowed three earned runs on five hits and five walks with six strikeouts in his first complete game of the season.

Sacramento State starter Brennan Leitao was tagged with six runs (five earned) on seven hits and a walk with two strikeouts in two innings pitched. Five relievers followed Leitao with freshman Ryan Smith and sophomore Chad Perry recording scoreless innings. The Hornet pitchers had issued just 12 walks through the first nine WAC games the team played but Utah Valley drew seven on Friday.

Sacramento State sophomore Sam Long, the WAC leader in ERA, WHIP, and opposing batting average, will look to even the series for the Hornets at 5 p.m. Pacific time Saturday.