SACRAMENTO -- Marissa Bertuccio went the distance, allowing just four hits, but Sacramento State fell in the season opener to UC Davis, 2-1, on Thursday afternoon.

The game was the season opener for both teams, and the opener of the four-day NorCal Kickoff. Sacramento State will host nine games over four days at the seven-team tournament. That includes three more games tomorrow, three on Saturday, and two on Sunday. The Hornets will play tomorrow vs. Utah Valley at 2:30 p.m.

Bertuccio, the reigning Big Sky Conference Pitcher  of the Year, was outstanding today. A couple fortunate hops helped UC Davis score single runs in the first and third innings, but Bertuccio was dominant throughout. In seven innings, she yielded just four hits (three singles) with one walk and eight strikeouts. The senior faced just five batters over the minimum, and threw 113 pitches.

UC Davis starter Kenedi Brown was just as effective, yielding a run and three hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Brown threw 92 pitches, and faced six batters over the minimum. The Hornets left five runners on base, and the Aggies three runners.

Sacramento State's lone run came in the sixth inning when a Carley Morfey RBI-single scored Lewa Day from third base. Morfey, Milan Machado-Buckley and Amber Rodriguez had the Hornet hits. Machado-Buckley's knock was a line drive that missed going out of the park by two feet in the second inning.

The Hornets had a runner at third base with one out in the second inning, but could not push across another run.

Sacramento State will play four times over the next three days, including once on both Friday and Saturday, and twice on Sunday.