Sacramento State’s Ty Nichols threw six innings, striking out five in the season-opening win against the University of Utah, today at John Smith Field.

The junior starting pitcher walked none and gave up only two earned runs in the Hornets’ 3-2 victory. Nichols worked fast and was efficient keeping his pitch count at 76.

“I felt good,” Nichols said. “I was able to establish fastball command pretty early and keep that throughout the rest of the game.”

Sac State pitching cruised through the last four innings giving up two total base-runners and no runs. Head coach Reggie Christiansen was pleased with the outing his four pitchers gave.  

“(Nichols) gives us six strong innings, and I tell you what, the guys we rolled off for the seventh, eighth and ninth, give us a chance to win every game,” Christiansen said. 

The Hornets were on the board in the first inning when they scored two runs on a single with the bases loaded by sophomore outfielder Chris Lewis. Lewis went 2-4 with a double, single and two RBI’s.

“We just take it one game at a time,” Lewis said. “We’re not thinking about the next three games, we’re thinking about tomorrow right now.”

Sac State put pressure on Utah’s starting pitcher, Mitch Watrous, forcing him to throw 92 pitches in just 5.2 innings. Right fielder Josh Rose led the Utes in hitting, going 2-3 with a run and an RBI.

Christiansen had confidence in his team heading into the season opener.

“I think going through a series like this against a Pac-12 opponent, you feel good about the preparation in the last five weeks,” Christiansen said. “The goal is to win every series, winning Friday certainly gives you a better opportunity to do so.”

Third team preseason all-american, sophomore pitcher Sutter McLoughlin, earned the save for the Hornets by striking out two, walking one and giving up no runs. McLoughlin led the Western Athletic Conference in saves last season with 17.

Sac State will play game two of the four-game series, Saturday at 2 p.m.