USU softball team makes clean sweep of the Lady Techsters
The first-ever trip to Logan by Louisiana Tech’s softball team was less than welcoming as the Lady Techsters fell victim to a three-game sweep by USU, Friday and Saturday at the LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field.
With the wins, the Aggies claimed their first-ever sweep in the Western Athletic Conference and the first three-game conference sweep since 2004 against Cal State Fullerton. The victories also improved USU’s record to 14-23 overall and 4-5 in conference play and moved the Aggies from last in the conference to fourth.
“It’s huge,” USU softball Head Coach Candi Letts said of the sweep. “This is the first sweep ever in the WAC. I think it’s got to start somewhere and this group has decided that they can compete. It doesn’t mean that they’re the best team, but the fact is we’re out there trying to make ourselves better each day, each week so we can be prepared to play in the WAC conference tournament. And how far we go in there, I don’t know, but the fact is we’re trying to get better.
“I think we are getting better swinging the bats this weekend – (36) hits in three games is huge, it’s over 10 a game. We’ll take it.”
The first game in the series was the tightest match as the Aggies edged Louisiana Tech 7-6 after two extra innings of play on Friday. Following the typical trend, USU fell behind early as the Lady Techsters took a 2-0 lead after the first inning.
The Aggies responded as senior third baseman Lauren Guzman singled to right field, bringing in junior catcher Heather Haak for the first points on the board. Louisiana Tech then scored another run in the top of the fifth to extend their lead to 3-1.
But the fifth inning belonged to the USU as four Aggies scored runs to take the Aggies on top 5-3. Junior third baseman Amy Schaible, senior centerfielder Ashley Bellum, first baseman Jamie Fife and junior shortstop Tara Evans all scored runs in the fifth.
The Lady Techsters fought back with three runs in the top of the sixth to again claim the lead at 6-5. Letts made a pitching changeup at this point, relieving sophomore pitcher Lindsey Benson by bringing in freshman Stacey Ellingsworth. The change made a difference as Louisiana Tech had only two hits and no runs the rest of the game.
In the sixth, Fife’s fielder’s choice to second brought in freshman second baseman Nicole Rupp to tie up the game. The seventh inning was silent, which brought on extra innings.
Following a scoreless eighth inning, the Aggies finished off the game in the ninth as Evans drilled a double down the left-field line. She was brought in by a single by Haak to claim the 7-6 victory for the Aggies.
The Aggies finished the game with 16 hits, which was the most hits for USU in a year.
Benson said the Aggies were prepared to face the Lady Techsters and had confidence they could win at home.
“We were on such a high from the Nevada game so we just wanted to come out,” Benson said. “We know we can beat (Louisiana Tech). We played them last year and they weren’t scary or anything like that. We just wanted to come out and prove ourselves to the WAC that we’re winners and we don’t deserve to be in last place, and we’re not.”
Game 2 – USU 12, LaTech 4
While the first meeting between USU and Louisiana Tech was neck and neck, the second game on Saturday afternoon was anything but close. The Aggies laid the hurt on the Lady Techsters in the second and fifth innings to give Louisiana Tech a 12-4 beating, ending the game in five innings due to the run rule.
Louisiana Tech got on the boards first in the top of the second inning with a double to left center by Danielle Sheridan which brought in Christine Echols.
The Aggies responded in a big way, going through 11 batters, pounding out six hits and seven runs in the bottom of the second to claim an impressive 7-1 lead over the Lady Techsters. The scoring frenzy started with sophomore first baseman Aubrie Stroman, who hit a single to right field. Next Evans nailed a double to left center which brought in Stroman for the first run. Evans made her way to home plate following an error by Louisiana Tech’s pitcher. Freshman left fielder Emily Reilly bunted to score Uragami.
Schaible’s single to center plated Reilly which was followed by a walk by Bellum. With Schaible and Bellum on base, Fife stepped up and blasted a home run to center to bring in three more runs, bringing the score to 7-1. The home run was Fife’s only hit of the game, but it was crucial. The home run was Fife’s sixth of the season and seventh of her career which moves her to 11th on USU’s career home-run list.
“Hitting is contagious,” Schaible said, “so once we got a couple hits going then everybody was hitting, and I think today everyone went in and was relaxed and was confident after a big win yesterday.”
The third inning added one score and one error for both teams, bringing the score to 8-2. In the fourth inning, Louisiana Tech came out with a bang as Kylie Bassett smacked a home run over the center fence. The next batter singled to center field which prompted Letts to replace senior pitcher Lexy Perry with Benson. Even with the pitching change, the Lady Techsters had two more hits and scored one more time to bring the score to 8-4.
The Aggies had a fast fourth inning as Bellum struck out, Fife was out at first and Stroman was caught stealing. The top of the fifth was just as quick for the Lady Techsters as Benson recorded two strikeouts.
The bottom of the fifth seemed to be a repeat of the second inning. Urugami walked and quickly advanced to second on Reilly’s single. Junior outfielder Whitnie Ray pounded a two-run double to left center which brought in Uragami and Reilly to increase the Aggies’ lead to 10-4.
Schaible stepped up to bat and drilled a two-run home run over the left center fence which ended the game 12-4. Schaible went 3-4 in the game and tabbed two runs and three RBIs.
“The home runs you hit you never really feel, so it was nice finally to actually get a good hit,” Schaible said of her home run. “A home run no matter where you are feels good. It is nice to be in front of your fans. It’s not any sweeter in front of your fans than it is anywhere else. ‘Cause it’s kind of nice when you’re away and you’re hitting a home run in front of people’s fans because it kind of rubs in their face.”
Letts said the improved confidence of her team is what enabled her team to have 13 hits and two home runs in the second game against Louisiana Tech.
“I think they have a sense of who they are, and I think they have a sense of knowing they can hit,” Letts said. “It’s just a matter of building each pitch into more confidence and I think they do. I think they’re finally getting a little swagger. I just think it’s a matter of them staying within their mechanics and work hard to be a better hitter.”
Game 3, USU 6, LaTech 5
Stung by the pounding sustained in the first game of Saturday’s twinbill, Louisiana Tech jumped to an early 3-0 lead, scoring a run in each of the first three innings.
The Aggies made up for lost time in the bottom of the third by quickly scoring three runs to even the score out. Fife nailed a two-run double to bring in Schaible and Bellum. Evans later brought in Fife with a single.
USU repeated the scoring in the fourth inning as freshman catcher Simone Hubbard’s double scored freshman second baseman Nicole Rupp. Hubbard was later brought to home by Schaible to increase the Aggies lead to 5-3. The Aggies scored again in the sixth inning, but that would be the last time.
Down 6-3, Louisiana Tech responded in the top of the seventh with two runs and seemed poised to tie up the game, but the Aggies responded defensively and stopped the Lady Techster’s rally to win the game 6-5.
“(Benson) came in and I thought did a nice job in both games, and I decided to stay with her,” Letts said. “The defense obviously stepped up when we had to, but we still had some miscues that drive us coaches crazy, but for the most part we did en
ough to win. Any time we can get a win when another team is battling with us, that’s a confidence builder.”
Benson earned her sixth win of the year and snapped her five-game losing streak. In the five innings of relief she pitched, she only allowed two runs and recorded three strikeouts.
“It was one of the better games I’ve had in the last couple of games I guess you could say,” Benson said of her pitching game. “UVSC was sad and Fresno State I didn’t pitch very well. I’ve been working hard the past couple weeks to set my mind and forget about those games and pitch like I know how to pitch.”
For the three-game series, the Aggies had 36 hits and left few runners on base, an improvement that aided in the wins, Letts said.
“Earlier in the year we left a lot of people on base and people weren’t coming through with clutch hits,” Letts said. “Now it seems like we’re feeding off people in scoring position, and people at the plate are much more confident about their abilities. I think it showed. If we can get better every day and learn to compete better every day, we’re going to take steps to being a better program, and I think the kids have bought into that and want to be better. They expect themselves now to be better.”
The Aggies next take on UVSC in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 17 at 2 p.m.
-sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu