Aggies win WAC opener, drop two of three
The Utah State softball team won one of three games against Louisiana Tech to open Western Athletic Conference play this weekend.
USU 4, La. Tech 0
Aggie pitcher Mandy Harmon led USU to a shutout in the first game of the series, snapping a nine-game losing streak Friday.
The junior struck out six batters and gave up five runs in the win – her fourth of the season.
USU head coach Carissa Millsap-Kalaba said Harmon pitched well.
“Mandy is a vital player for this team,” she said. “She has the ability to keep us in a lot of games by the way she pitches. She was able to do that on Friday night.” In the first inning, La. Tech pitcher Michelle Jones walked leadoff hitter Kassy Uchida. The sophomore center fielder made her way to third base before she and shortstop Kelley Kaneshiro executed a bunt to bring Uchida to the plate for a 1-0 lead.
The Aggies scored three more runs in the top of the seventh to give them a 4-0 lead.
Millsap-Kalaba said Harmon was crucial to secure the win.
“She protected a one-run lead late into the game and gave us the opportunity to win the game,” Millsap-Kalaba said. “Every win is vital in our conference, and I was proud of the way the team came out and played. Mandy went out and pitched a very good game for us.”
USU 1, La. Tech 10
Day two was not so kind to the Aggies, as they lost in the fifth inning because of the eight-run mercy rule.
Senior pitcher Dani Chaplin started the first two innings for Utah State, but of the 12 batters she faced, six of them scored.
Freshman Mariah Peterson relieved Chaplin in the second and got the Aggies out of second and third innings without any further damage.
Peterson faced two batters in the fourth who both scored, giving La. Tech a 8-0 advantage before junior right hander Kali Cancelosi was sent in to stop the bleeding from the mound.
Cancelosi allowed another two runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Junior first baseman Christine Thomsen was driven in by senior second baseman Lindsey Marquez in the top of the fifth to score the only run for Utah State.
“It is disappointing that we were unable to play with the same intensity that we played with (Friday) in (Saturday’s) games,” Millsap-Kalaba said.
USU 1, La. Tech 5
Harmon returned to the mound for the final game of the day but could not help the Aggies win two of the three three games in the series. She allowed two runs in the bottom of the first and had two strikeouts in the game.
Uchida went 3-4 but couldn’t get to the plate to help her pitcher on the offensive side.
Thomsen hit a solo shot over the right-field fence for her third homerun of the season – the lone Aggie run.
The Aggies will return to the Beehive State to face Utah in Salt Lake City on Wednesday before hosting WAC foe Nevada on Friday and Saturday.
“We have work to do as a team,” Millsap-Kalaba said. “We need to get better with every game that we play and that is what I expect. We are a tough team, and we will be ready to play next week and compete in every game we play in. I expect the girls to be ready to play and to compete.”
– tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu