A rich and storied career claimed another milestone Wednesday as young and burgeoning one just beginning to take flight recorded a first.

Sacramento State softball coach Kathy Strahan got her 600th career win by the score of 6-0 in game one of a double-header with Utah Valley State Wednesday afternoon at Shea Stadium and junior pitcher Nikki Cinque hurled her first Sac State no-hitter in the nightcap to propel the Hornets to a 3-0 win.

“That’s a lot of ball games,” Strahan said with a bouquet of flowers in one arm and a team-autographed ball in the other. “It’s been a great ride.”

Strahan came to Sac State in 1993 after nine years at San Jose State and has since won 354 games. As the final out was recorded in win No. 600 Strahan said she, “…Was just thinking we got another win, another win for the Hornets.”

Immediately after the game Strahan was mobbed by her team with hugs and presented with the autographed ball and flowers, then posed for a team photo.

“That was very nice of the team,” Strahan said. “They had great confidence in today.”

Cinque took to the circle just 20 minutes after Strahan’s victory celebration and proceeded to mow down Utah Valley State hitters like blades of grass in the outfield behind her.

The only two base runners Cinque allowed both reached on fielder’s errors; Wolverine second baseman Emily Cardenas reached base in the third inning on an error from Gloria Toledo — only to be picked off in a line-out double play — and right fielder Jami Salmond in the sixth inning when Danielle Ackland dropped a popup.

Cinque said she became aware about the middle of the game of the fact she hadn’t allowed any hits, but was quick to dismiss it.

“I realized it and then tried to stop thinking about it,” Cinque said. “I try not to jinx myself out there.”

Following a Lindy Winkler triple in the bottom of the first, senior catcher Erin Coyne sent a Chelsey Mikalauski pitch over the fence in left field to put the Hornets up 2-0.

Strahan said Coyne — who is hitting .225 — has been alternating between several different bats and finally went back to an older one Coyne thought was “dead.”

“We had a good laugh when she got back to the dugout,” Strahan said. “I guess it wasn’t dead after all.”

In the fifth inning Toledo drove in another Hornet run on a sacrifice fly scoring Winkler — who had again tripled — from third base.

Winkler up until this year had been the Hornets’ leadoff hitter but has made most of her starts at the third spot in the batting order — and is currently hitting a scorching .407.

“Coach put me there to be a contact hitter,” Winkler said. “I want to move people over and get hits, that’s what coach expects.”

With the offense rolling behind Winkler and Coyne, the pitching staff had a great day as well. The Wolverines only got one hit the whole day and the Hornet staff faced just two batters over the minimum.

Senior right-hander Brianne Ferguson started game one and surrendered the only hit of the day in the sixth inning to Cardenas. She was relieved in the seventh inning by sophomore Jennifer Fryou who worked a perfect inning to nail down the win.

“Pitchers have their days sometimes,” Cinque said. “We all did well and were on today.”

NOTES: Six different Hornets drove in runs in game one, comprising Lesley Mayhorn, Winkler, Coyne, Amy Hillel, Toledo and Ferguson. … Hillel was 3-for-3 in game one while Coyne was 3-for-4. … Hilary Johnson scored two of the Hornets’ six runs in game one, going 2-for-4.