USU softball sweeps weekend series in California
Utah State softball dominated over the weekend at the Golden State Classic. The Aggies recorded their first tournament sweep since 1980, as well as just the seventh no-hitter in program history, thrown by sophomore Kapri Toone.
“It was a great weekend, going 5-0. The kids played really well the whole weekend,” said USU head coach Steve Johnson. “We won every game in a different way, every game had its different battles. Our team played excellent this weekend. It’s what we expected going into the season, and hopefully we can use this as momentum to carry on for the rest of the year.”
The first game of the weekend happened to be the closest, as well. Utah State took on Hawai’i in a game that saw both teams score six runs in the third inning. The Aggies finished the game with six doubles, one triple and three home runs while only drawing a single walk in the contest. Utah State held on in the seventh thanks to junior Delaney Hull. She came in to pitch a scoreless inning and earned her first save of the season, closing out a 11-10 win over the Rainbow Warriors.
The Aggies took on Portland State in their second game, falling behind early in the first 1-0. But Utah State wouldn’t allow another run in the game, retiring 14 straight batters at one point. The Aggies tied the game in the third, scored another three in the fourth and topped it off with one more in the fifth to take the 5-1 victory over Portland State.
Utah State’s first game Saturday was a quick one. The Aggies took it 8-0 over San Diego in their first run-ruled game of the season. Sophomore catcher Gabriella Jimenez and junior outfielder Stephanie Reed led the team with three RBI’s each while pitcher Toone dominated the game, allowing only two baserunners in the no-hitter.
Game two for Utah State was a bit closer as it took on UC Davis. The Aggies broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning after sophomore shortstop Lexi Orozco put down a sacrifice bunt and advanced to third on an overthrown ball. The inning ended with senior second baseman Ryann Holmes knocking in a home run to put Utah State up 5-1. The Aggies would hold off UC Davis to win the game 5-3.
In its final game, Utah State scored a run before even recording a hit. Three walks and a hit-by-pitch brought home the first run of the game. Utah State dominated the game defensively, never allowing more than four batters to the plate in an inning. No Seton Hall player made it past second base in the game. The Aggies used the second run-ruled game of their season to finish the tournament a perfect 5-0 with the 8-0 victory over the Pirates.
The Aggies are now 6-4 on the season just two weeks into the campaign. They travel to Phoenix, Arizona next weekend for the Grand Canyon Purple Classic to take on Grand Canyon University and CSUN two times, then finish with a single game against the University of Drake.
Twitter: @ajlars13