Box Score SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Utah Valley senior right handed pitcher Danny Beddes took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and allowed just two singles over eight scoreless innings to lead Utah Valley to a 5-0 win over Sacramento State in the second of a three-game series on Saturday at John Smith Field.
Sacramento State (26-20, 13-7 WAC) lost its first home WAC game of the season after starting 10-0 in home league games. The Hornets were shut out for the first time in WAC play and the first time since March 28 as Utah Valley (27-19, 12-8 WAC) returned the favor after being shut out by Max Karnos and the Hornets, 8-0, on Friday.
Hornet junior lefty Sam Long matched Beddes early on as neither team had a hit through the first four innings. Long retired the first seven batters he faced before issuing a walk and Beddes set down 14 in a row to start the game before the Hornets got a baserunner on a Utah Valley fielding error with two outs in the fifth inning.
The Wolverines got the first hit of the game with a two-out single in the fifth inning. In the sixth, Utah Valley had a pair of singles to open the inning and scored the first run with a one-out single from cleanup hitter Mark Krueger. Long then got a groundball back to the mound but his throw to second was errant as a second Wolverine runner came in. A wild pitch delivered a third run in the inning and a Spencer Gothberg double made it a 4-0 game.
Sacramento State got a leadoff single from freshman Matt Smith to open the seventh. Senior Chris Lewis followed with a single and sophomore Andrew McWilliam was hit by a pitch as the Hornets loaded the bases with nobody out.
Beddes got a 5-2-3 double play to get two outs but the Hornets would load the bases again when pinch hitter Josh Egan drew a walk. Junior Gunner Pollman hit a deep drive to center that looked like it might leave the yard and tie the game but UVU center fielder Justin Erlandson made the catch at the wall.
Utah Valley added a run on two hits and a Hornet error in the eighth inning. Beddes retired the Hornets in order in the eighth and reliever Kyle Valgardson allowed a single by Smith but nothing more in the ninth.
Long struck out five and allowed just five hits and three earned runs. Junior Chad Perry allowed just one hit over 1.2 innings of relief and sophomore Jonny Palsha and junior Austin Ragsdale both did not allow any earned runs in the eighth and ninth.
Each of the first eight hitters in the Utah Valley lineup had hits but just two of them had multi-hit games. Smith was 2-for-4 to lead the Hornets as the Wolverines had a 10-3 hit advantage but there was just one extra-base hit in the game.
The Hornets go for the series win on Sunday with senior Grant Kukuk set to oppose UVU sophomore Jackson Cofer at noon.
---
Jimboy's Tacos Strikeout Meter
Game: 7 (Free Tacos!)
Season: 221
