SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Southern Utah University softball team dropped all three contests against Sacramento State this weekend, ending their season as they failed to qualify for the Big Sky Conference Tournament.

Game One

Sacramento State ace Marissa Bertuccio got the nod to start on the mound for the Hornets in the first game of the series. Southern Utah struggled mightily against one of the best pitchers in the conference, failing to collect a hit throughout the game.

Dream Weaver and Makall Whetten each earned walks in the contest; however, SUU was unable to plate any runs.

Keimon Winston had a strong outing on the mound, throwing five innings and allowing four runs, two of which were unearned.

The Hornets scored two runs in the second inning, along with one apiece in the fourth and fifth frames, resulting in a 4-0 victory.

Game Two

Following an SUU three up, three down in the top of the first, Sacramento State was able to push three runs across in their first at-bat, taking an early lead. 

Dream Weaver led off the top of the second for the T-Birds, lacing a single to left field for SUU's first hit of the contest. Two batters later, Capri Franzen drew a walk to put runners on first and second with one out. Gianna Carosone followed by recording another single to load the bases. Unfortunately, the Thunderbirds were unable to take advantage of the opportunity, as two consecutive outs ended the half-inning.

The Hornets had a massive second at-bat, plating nine runs on seven hits to take a 12-0 lead. SUU was able to get two runs back in the top of the third, trimming the deficit to 12-2. Sacramento State plated one more run in the bottom of the fourth.

Makall Whetten attempted to start a T-Bird rally in the top of the fifth by crushing a home run over the left-field wall, but SUU was unable to produce any more runs, as they fell in the second game of the doubleheader by a final score of 13-3.

Game Three

Sacramento State jumped out to an early lead again in the final game of the series, plating a run in the bottom of the first to make it 1-0. Makenna Calderon answered by smashing an 0-2 fastball over the left center field wall to even the score at one run apiece.

The Hornets were able to tack on another run in the bottom of the third, retaking the lead. SUU managed to get base runners on second and third in their fourth at-bat; unfortunately, they failed to score any runs, and the score remained 2-0 entering the bottom of the fourth.

The Sac State offense heated up in the fourth frame, scoring four runs on four hits to take a 6-1 lead. Southern Utah failed to score again, as the Hornets tacked on two runs in the bottom of the sixth to collect the victory by a final score of 8-1.

The loss marks the end of the season, as well as the Big Sky Conference era for SUU softball, as the Thunderbirds will transition to the Western Athletic Conference beginning July 1, 2022.

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