LAS VEGAS, Nevada- The Thunderbirds opened the season Friday with a tough 12-2 loss against Baylor University and a 13-3 loss to the University of Nevada Las Vegas at the UNLV Rebel Kickoff. 

The Thunderbird softball team played its first games of the season Friday in Las Vegas. Southern Utah Got some good performances out of freshman third baseman Emily Gonzalez and junior shortstop Miranda Lopez. Gonzalez was 3-6 at the plate while Lopez was 3-5. Senior first baseman Madison Sanders also lit up the scoreboard with a two-run blast. 

SUU VS. BAYLOR

In the first inning, Baylor University got their offense started when Shaylon Govan doubled on the first pitch of the at-bat, scoring a run. The Thunderbirds would go on to shut them down the rest of the inning but the Bears would never surrender the lead adding runs in the third, fourth, and sixth innings.

The T-Birds tallied six hits in the game. Freshman infielder Emily Gonzalez and junior infielder Miranda Lopez both managed multiple hits for the Thunderbirds. Lopez and Gonzalez each collected two hits and Lopez crossed the plate along with sophomore second baseman Jayne Sepulveda.  

Keimon Winston took the loss for Southern Utah. The pitcher lasted two and a third innings, allowing six hits and four runs while striking out one. 

SUU VS. UNLV

The Thunderbirds got the scoring started early in game two when Gonzalez drove in Sepulveda to score in the first inning. The Rebels bounced back in the bottom half of the frame with a pair of home runs that made the score 3-1 then added another run to the board in the bottom of the second inning. 

The Thunderbirds came roaring back in the top half of the third inning when Sanders came to the plate with a runner on base and blasted a home run. The Thunderbirds held UNLV scoreless in the bottom half of the inning but the Rebels were able to score a run in both the 4th and 5th innings. 

UNLV broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth with a few hits and some walks to end the game in a 10-run affair.

NEXT UP

The Thunderbirds will continue the Rebel Kickoff tomorrow when they take on #6 Arkansas at 12:30 p.m. SUU will then get another crack at the Baylor Bears at 3:00 p.m. Those games can be streamed here https://youtube.com/live/jSqvUS1vLf4. 

FOLLOW US

Stay up to date on the Thunderbird Softball team by following @SUUSoftball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah softball page on Facebook.