Aggies break losing streak
The streak is over.
Led by seniors Kristin Hommel and Breanne Smith, the Utah State University women’s softball team snapped its 13 game losing streak as the Aggies split a doubleheader with Southern Utah University Tuesday at Johnson Field.
“I’m very pleased with this team,” Head Coach Debbie Bilbao said. “They’ve been through a lot this year, and they’re really coming together as a team. [The] chemistry was great today.”
USU 3, SUU 2
Timely hitting, sound pitching and solid defense – these are three things Bilbao has been stressing the entire season.
The Aggies were able to do just that, Bilbao said, in Utah State’s 3-2 victory in game one of the doubleheader.
“We made the plays we were supposed to make, we hit out spots [hitting] and we got runs,” she said. “That’s the name of the game, [and] we did all three things in that game.”
After surrendering a run to the T-Birds in the first inning on an RBI double by rightfielder Lacey LePrey, senior pitcher Kristin Hommel was a thorn in SUU’s side, holding the T-Birds to one run on five hits the rest of the game.
When asked about Hommel’s presence on the mound, catcher Breanne Smith said she and Hommel were able to stay on the same page throughout the course of the game.
“We’ve been pitching together for four years,” she said. “We know what and when to throw, and when she’s on, she’s on.”
Smith was up to the task as well, lacing a Tracy Evans riseball into the fence in centerfield in the third inning. Not only did Smith’s triple drive in two runs, giving USU a 3-1 lead it wouldn’t relinquish, it came with two outs and was a great confidence builder for Smith, she said.
“I was using this game as a confidence builder for me, so I can go into the weekend hitting well,” she said.
Down 3-2 in the sixth inning, Southern Utah would threaten as Anna Leeman and April Cox opened the inning with consecutive doubles. With Leeman on third and Cox on second with no outs, both Hommel and the Aggie defense would respond.
Two Stephanie Vasarhely forceouts and a Hommel strikeout later, the Aggies escaped the inning without allowing a run.
In addition to getting solid pitching by Hommel and timely hitting by Smith, the Aggie defense finished with an error-free game.
“We played good defense today and I’m really happy with that,” Bilbao said.
SUU 3, USU 1
A big fifth inning by Southern Utah proved to be too much for the Aggies to overcome as the T-Birds rebounded to win game two, 3-1.
With the score deadlocked at 0-0 entering the top of the fifth inning, the T-birds sent eight batters to the plate in the inning, scoring three runs on five hits.
SUU’s pitcher in the second game after playing the right field position in the first game, LePrey aided her cause at the plate with a two-run triple in the sixth off of Aggie pitcher Lindsay Janssen.
After allowing an RBI single to Leeman, USU’s defense was able to limit the amount of damage done, gunning out Leeman at third base later in the inning and Rulen Andrade at home plate to end the inning.
Down 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Aggies had runners on the corners with no outs. Unfortunately for USU, a suicide squeeze attempt by Aggie first baseman Kelly Leos backfired when Leos missed a bunt attempt on a called third strike and Heather Curtis was caught in a run-down at home.
“You need to take risks,” Bilbao said. “If we score on that [play], that’s a whole different inning.”
The Aggies did cut the deficit to 3-1 on a hard single by Kara Foster, but were held in check by LePrey and the SUU defense the rest of the game.
“We had some situations [in the second game] offensively that had we bunted the ball or got the ball down or had one more hit, the game would have been a totally different story,” Bilbao said.
LePrey picked up the victory for the T-Birds, allowing one run on four hits.
Right fielder Marnie Andrews paced the Aggie offense, going 2-for-2 at the plate. Third baseman Stephanie Vasarhely went 2-for-3 in the first game.
USU will conclude its 11 game homestand when BYU comes to Logan Thursday for a doubleheader. Play will begin at 2 p.m. at Johnson Field.