Softball team goes 1-3 to open conference play
The Utah State softball team won one of three games Sunday against Cal State Northridge in California in its first Big West Conference game of the season.
The Ags dropped the first two games 11-1 and 6-1, but rebounded for a win in the final game shutting CSUN out 4-0.
The games were scheduled to be played on Saturday, but, due to heavy rains, were moved to Sunday.
With the win, the Ags are now 7-13 for the season and 1-2 in Big West play.
In the final game of the triple-header, Leslie Higley pitched a complete-game four-hit shutout.
USU’s Sara Fleming, Kelly Leos and Candice Hatch all had two hits in the Aggie victory.
Three runs in the top of the fourth put the Ags up by four and gave them the win.
UVSC 4, USU 2
USU 8, UVSC 6
The Utah State softball team split a double-header with Utah Valley State College Friday in Orem.
The Wolverines defeated the Aggies in the first game 4-2 and Utah State pulling out an 8-6 win in the second game.
Utah State’s Quela Henderson-Leonhardt started out strong with a double and was quickly followed by a single from Sara Fleming, sending her home safe.
The game was tied up in the second, but the Aggies pulled ahead 2-1 with a homerun in the third inning from Leonhardt, her second of the season.
But UVSC was quickly able to put the game away with a two-run homerun in the fourth, followed by another run in the fifth.
After the 4-2 lead in the fifth the Aggies couldn’t pull ahead of the Wolverines. The game ended in the sixth and the Aggies finished with seven hits in the game.
In the second game of the double header, the Aggies started strong.
Leonhardt hit a single down center field, increasing her game hitting streak to six. Fleming quickly followed with a double which sent Leonhardt home safe for a 1-0 lead.
After yet another tie in the second, the Aggies exploded with four runs in the third.
Jessica Garnett lead the four-run streak by hitting a double, that allowed both Leonhardt and Fleming to score. Garnett was quickly sent home by a triple from Roxanne Ritchie. Then, close-to-home, Ritchie scored a run, from Leslie Higley’s single hit to right field.
Also in the third inning, UVSC came from behind to score five runs, putting them in the lead 6-5.
The Aggies finished the game strong with one run in the sixth and two in the seventh.
USU ended the game at 8-6. The team had 12 hits, and its sixth win of the season.
UCLA 8, USU 0
UCLA 8, USU 7
USU was overpowered by UCLA 8-0 in the first game of a doubleheader, and 8-7 in the second game Thursday.
The first game started with a pitcher’s battle – no runs for two innings. Lisa Dodd of UCLA put out the first three batters in the second inning. While Utah State’s Leslie Higley, shot down all seven Bruins she faced.
In the third inning however, it was all the Bruins as they exploded with a four-run rally.
Because of the Aggie defense error, two UCLA runners were in position to be sent home. A hit from UCLA’s Andrea Duran, scored a single. By the end of the third UCLA was up 4-0.
Bruin’s pitcher, Dodd, struck out the side again in the fourth. The Bruins didn’t score again until a fifth inning rally ended the game. The game was over then with a UCLA win 8-0.
In the second game Thursday, UCLA did not lead until the final at-bat of the doubleheader.
The Aggies began with two walks. Then Kelly Leos hit a single to the right which sent Leonhardt home for the first run of the game.
In the third inning the Aggies, after allowing the Bruins to tie the game, recovered the lead with the help of UCLA’s starting pitcher.
But, in the bottom of the seventh the Bruins cut down the Aggie lead eventually eclipsed it to go up 8-7 for the win.
USU will continue league play with a three-game series at Cal Poly on Saturday and Sunday.
-ranaebang@cc.usu.edu