Softball drops two
After going 3-0 in conference over the weekend the Utah State softball team failed to match the intensity of Southern Utah University Wednesday, losing both games to SUU in their doubleheader, 7-2 and 9-6.
The first five innings of the second game of the day were dominated by good pitching and good defense, and going into the top of the sixth, the game was knotted 1-1.
The game was postponed during the fifth inning because of heavy rain showers. After the rain let up and the field was fit to play, SUU came out with their bats screaming. The Thunderbirds scorched Utah State with a five-run sixth inning to break the tie of three innings.
Utah State tried to answer by making a run of its own, but was cut very short. A bomb over the center field fence by Kelly Leos made her the the only Aggie to cross home plate during the sixth inning.
“We were just trying to get something going,” Leos said.
Jessica Garnett started for the Aggies and pitched 5 2-3 innings, giving up four hits, four runs but walked six. Three of those four runs did come in the sixth inning while SUU was making their run.
Jill Bruins came in for relief for Garnett after three batters in the sixth inning. Bruins allowed five hits and three runs and walked three in only two innings of work.
“I think we let down, and any time you let down like that it’s not going to be a good outcome,” Head Coach Debbie Bilbao said.
SUU added one more insurance run in the top of the seventh inning to cruise to 7-2 victory over Utah State.
“If we let the other team set the tone, we are never going to be very effective,” Bilbao said.
The first game of the doubleheader for the Aggies was more of the same result the Ags have seen all season.
“We just fell off the horse before we got back on it,” Bilbao said.
The very first at bat ended in a trip across home plate by SUU’s Lacy LePrey. She lined a solo home run over the center field fence to give the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead.
In the second inning, the Aggie’s Sara Flemming matched Leprey with a solo shot of her own, a line drive that was still going up after it crossed the fence. Quela Henderson was up next and scorched a triple into center field.
The next batter, Casey Smith, reached first base because she was hit with a pitch, but was caught stealing second when Leos stepped up to the plate. Both Leos and Candice Hatch struck out to end the threat and the inning.
SUU posted two runs in the top of the third inning and three runs in the top of the fifth inning to lead the Aggies 6-1.
Haven Vance, Michelle Vlahos and Flemming all walked to load the bases. Jessica Garnett struck out for the first out of the inning afterwhich Henderson was walked to bring Vance home. Then Smith reached on a fielder’s choice to bring home Vlahos. Leos then struck out and Flemming was caught stealing to end the inning.
After the fifth inning, the score was Utah State 3, SUU 6.
The Thunderbirds added another big inning in the top of the sixth, scoring three more insurance runs to extend the lead to 9-3.
“We just weren’t all there, before the game our energy was low and that will kill us,” Leos said
Utah State wasn’t able to score in the sixth, but in the bottom of the seventh with a Flemming single and a Henderson walk, Smith smashed a three-run home run to try and even up the score.
“You just swing hard and home runs happen,” Casey Smith said.
USU wasn’t able to convert any more hits into runs and the game ended 9-6 in favor of the Thunderbirds.
-kcaustin@cc.usu.edu