Sacramento State baseball could not capitalize on starting pitcher Brennan Leitao’s seven inning, two earned run effort against Utah, Saturday at John Smith Field.

The Hornet bats fell silent losing the game 2-1. The Hornets have now scored one run in the last 15 innings of play.

The junior Leitao struck out four, issuing two walks and a hit by pitch in his first start of the season. He worked efficiently throwing only 79 pitches, 55 for strikes. He threw 32 strikes in his first 35 pitches of the game.

Leitao’s effort was overshadowed by poor hitting by the Hornets.

Leadoff hitter, sophomore outfielder Nathan Lukes, struck out four times including once in the eighth inning with the tying run at third base. Lukes was 2-3 with an RBI and a run in Friday’s 3-2 victory over the Utes.

Sac State as a team only had three hits in the game. The 1-6 batters in the lineup combined to go 1-19. The Hornets lone run came on a sacrifice fly by senior third baseman Will Soto scoring junior first baseman Rhys Hoskins.

For Utah, starting pitcher Tanner Banks kept the Hornets off balance throwing seven innings, allowing two hits and striking out nine. The designated hitter, AJ Young, was 3-3 with an RBI.

Despite two errors, the Hornets defense came through keeping the game close. Lukes threw out a runner trying to score in the fourth inning keeping the game scoreless. In the top of the ninth inning with a runner on first, Utes third baseman Cody Scaggari popped out to the first baseman, Hoskins. The runner on first ended up crossing second and failed to touch the base on his way back to first ultimately being called out on the Sac State appeal.

It was the second double play of the game involving a Scaggari pop out, the first coming in the seventh inning.

Sac State (1-1) will continue the series against Utah Sunday at 2 p.m. at John Smith Field.