The Sacramento State softball team lost at home to the University of the Pacific on Tuesday afternoon by a final score of 4-0 in the Hornets’ first game back from their road trip.

Sac State starting pitcher Savanna Corr got off to a shaky start, giving up a walk and a hit to the first two batters of the game before retiring the Tigers’ 3-4-5 hitters to keep the game scoreless. The Hornets got two base runners of their own in the bottom half of the inning, getting back-to-back two-out singles but failed to capitalize on the opportunity.

Pacific drew blood in the next frame, however. A one-out walk and an errant throw by Corr put two runners on base before a wild pitch and a Tigers single brought both in to give Pacific the lead. A stolen base and another RBI single would bring the score to 3-0 by the end of the inning.

Pacific threatened again an inning later, putting two runners on via walks and advancing as far as third base. But Corr buckled down and induced a fly out to right field to end the top of the third. She retired the side in both of the next innings and retired the next nine out of 10 Tigers.

The Hornet offense didn’t get another base runner until a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth by designated player Sasha Margulies, who went three for three, but Sac State failed to get her into scoring position. Head coach Lori Perez didn’t see many productive outs from the dugout but saw the team pick it up later in the game.

“We needed to be more aggressive in our at bats, swinging earlier in the count … Later in the game, offensively, we started getting some things done, and unfortunately, [we were] just hitting it hard right at ‘em,” Perez said.

The bottom of the fifth featured the Hornets’ best chance at scoring. Catcher Kortney Solis smacked a one-out double to left followed by a strikeout and a Tiger error that set up runners at the corners with two outs. But again the Hornets couldn’t push a run across the board, with the next hitter grounding out to third.

Corr gave up one more Tiger run off an RBI single in the top of the seventh but for the most part gave the Hornets a fighting chance at getting back into the game. Corr pitched the complete game while giving up four runs, three of which were unearned. She also collected four walks and four strikeouts.

“I calmed down, knew what I needed to do, knew that I shouldn’t be giving up the free bases because they’re going to take advantage of any opportunity that I give them, so I just really beared down and focused on my pitching and just doing me,” Corr said.

The Hornets collected a single in both the sixth and seventh innings, but that was the rest of the damage for the Sac State offense on the day.

Even though the game ended in a loss, the Hornets saw positive signs around the diamond. Margulies extended her personal hitting streak to seven games, and the defense did a good job on the day as well, save for one or two throws. And in what could be a boost to the team, Solis got her bat going with two hits in three at bats.

“Lately, in the beginning of the season, I haven’t really been seeing the ball very well,” Solis said. “I was really struggling, and once conference started to come around, I just started seeing it a lot better, working hard on high-tee, low-tee and just started coming through.”

With the loss, Sac State falls to 15-15 on the season and 6-2 at home. Sac State hits the road again on Friday afternoon for a doubleheader at Northern Colorado.