CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Thunderbird softball team punched their ticket to the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Friday, after beating the University of North Dakota twice in a doubleheader.
Going into the day there were two spots remaining in the tournament field, and the two wins for the Thunderbirds were enough to secure their spot in the postseason.
They did it with a big day offensively, as SUU topped the Fighting Hawks 13-12 in the first game and 9-5 in the second game.
In the first game the Thunderbirds really got going in the bottom of the second. UND was up 2-1 when the Thunderbirds were able to tie the game up as Payton Hart scored Amanda Cook, followed by Kylee Wolf scoring Hart to give the T-Birds a 3-2 advantage. SUU wasn't done with the bottom of the second either, as Wolf crossed home base courtesy of Jordan Theurer to put SUU up 4-2.
The Thunderbirds continued to roll in the bottom of the third, as they put two more runs up on the board to take a 6-2 advantage.
After the Fighting Hawks pushed the T-Bird advantage back down to two, the Thunderbirds came out swinging again and put up three more runs in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the bottom of the fifth to take a commanding 11-4 lead.
Unfortunately for SUU, that is when UND came alive, as the Hawks were able to score eight runs in the top of the sixth inning to come from behind and regain the lead. But the Thunderbirds kept fighting, and scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth, with the go ahead run scored as Wolf crossed home plate off a wild pitch.
“We found a way to come back and that's all that matters,” Wolf said.
SUU head coach Tom Gray said after the game that three weeks ago he isn't sure the team would have rebounded from giving up a huge inning like that, but the growth they've shown as the season has winded to a close made it possible for them to turn it around and pick up the victory.
In the second game the Thunderbirds fell behind three runs in the first inning, leading to a pitching change as Theurer moved from third to pitcher and was able to get them out of the inning without any more damage.
“I just tried to slow everything down, take it one pitch at a time, and it seemed to work,” Theurer said.
The offense responded in the bottom of the first frame as well, as Wolf scored herself and Hart on a home run, followed by a Kendall Kapitzke double that scored Theurer and an Amanda Cook double that scored Morgan Leonard to give SUU a 4-3 advantage.
After UND tied it up in the top of the third the Thunderbirds went on another tear, scoring five runs in the bottom of the frame. The rally started when Karlee Manzione knocked one out of the park.
The Fighting Hawks put up one more run in the game, but it wasn't enough as the Thunderbirds took it 9-5.
Theurer got the win for the Thunderbirds, and finished the contest with five strikeouts.
“That was pure guts right there,” coach Gray said about Theurer's performance. “That was pure heart and desire and all the positives from a kid that's tough.”
The Thunderbirds will host their final home contest of the season tomorrow at noon, as they will close out the series against UND. Tomorrow will also be senior day for SUU's Wolf and Cook, as they will be honored for their service to Southern Utah University.
The game can be viewed online at WatchBigSky.com and updates can be followed on Twitter @SUUSoftball.
Attendance to all home SUU softball games is free of charge.
