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Box Score 2 LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Day two of the UNLV Desert Invitational began with back-to-back games for the Thunderbirds. The T-Birds fell to #24 Oregon 16-1 before bouncing back to earn the season's first win over Buffalo 10-7.
Southern Utah was led on offense by sophomore Ariyana Ramirez, who went 4-7 on the day with four RBIs. Sophomore Kassidy Munoz also picked up four RBIs with some timely contact. Freshman Michaella Salvatierra was a solid leadoff, demonstrating patience and getting on base via the walk four times during the day. Salvatierra would also steal three bases in the games.
On the rubber, redshirt sophomore Riley Nielson showed grit in game two. Nielson pitched four innings, giving up six hits and striking out three. Freshman Maddie Moreno Senior Keimon Winston was credited with a save, pitching 1.2 innings and striking out four batters. Battling
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"It was great to get our first win under our belt today. The team battled for seven innings and did a good job making adjustments."
Game 1 Summary vs. #24 Oregon
The Ducks jumped out to an early lead, scoring six runs in the first inning. Southern Utah started its offense in the bottom of the second inning when freshman Michaella Salvatierra drove an RBI single over the third baseman to score Amyah Boostedt.
Oregon wasted no time answering, putting up four more runs in the top of the third to make the score 10-1. In the fourth inning, the Ducks added two more runs to their lead. Oregon's offense didn't slow down, scoring four more in the fifth inning.
Despite an RBI single by Ariyana Ramirez, the single run in the bottom of the fifth was too little too late as the T-Birds fell 16-2.
Game 2 Summary vs. Buffalo
Southern Utah struck first in the opening inning of the game when sophomore Kassidy Munoz popped a shallow fly ball behind third base, scoring Salvatierra. The Bulls would answer in the bottom half with a pair of runs to take the lead 2-1.
The T-Birds pounced on another opportunity in the top of the second when Ramirez drove in freshman Tawnie Mozeris to even the game at two. Munoz then collected her second RBI of the game with a sac fly to left, scoring Salvatierra from third.
Buffalo picked up a run in the bottom of the third inning to knot the game at 3. Ramirez and Munoz continued to push the gas for the Thunderbirds, scoring RBIs on back-to-back at-bats once again and bringing the score to 5-3.
The Bulls got one run back in the bottom half of the fourth but took the lead on a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth.
The Thunderbirds continued to battle when senior Laurie Cooke drove a triple in the top of the sixth inning. Ramirez once again came in the clutch with a single to send her home and tie the game at 6-6. Southern Utah capitalized on an error and a clutch hit to score three runs more, giving them a 9-6 lead when Ramirez scored on a fielding error and Tawnie Mozeris delivered a two-run double to left field.
In the bottom of the sixth, Buffalo would get a leadoff home run to cut the Thunderbirds lead to two runs. Senior Keimon Winston would enter the game to neutralize the threat, sending the game to its final inning.
Southern Utah would add an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Munoz doubled to drive in Cooke and make the score 10-7. Winston promptly sat the Bulls down in order to earn the save.
Next Up
The T-Birds will play in the tournament's final game on Sunday, February 9, at 1:00 p.m. MT. Southern Utah will look to avenge the opening-day loss to the host team from UNLV. Go to the Tournament Home page to find the link for live stats and the link to watch live on YouTube.
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