CEDAR CITY, Utah—The Thunderbirds battled but fell 12-6 in game one of the series with Utah Tech. However, they fought back to even the series with a 9-8 victory in game two. Southern Utah now sits at 10-23 (5-9 WAC), while the Trailblazers have a record of 15-26 (6-11 WAC).
Southern Utah got a significant boost offensively from Arianna Ramirez and Michaella Salvatierra, who each picked up five hits on the day. Ramirez was on fire, going 5-7 with an incredible seven RBIs. Ramirez also blasted two home runs during the doubleheader. Salvatierra was also impressive at the plate, scoring five singles and one RBI between the two games. Laurie Cooke found her way on base at an impressive rate today with two hits and four walks.
In the circle, the Thunderbirds once again put their trust in sophomore Emily Delgado, who pitched a complete game to earn the win. Delago surrendered eight runs on 11 hits, picking up two key strikeouts late in the game. Senior Keimon Winston started game one, pitching six innings in the effort.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
Game One Summary
Utah Tech jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning off a clutch 2-RBI single by Eldredge.
Southern Utah responded with one run in the bottom half, taking advantage of two Utah Tech errors.
The Trailblazers added two more in the 3rd, again fueled by Eldredge, who tallied her second 2-RBI single of the game.
The Thunderbirds stayed close with a two-run response in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by an RBI single from Ariyana Miranda and a sacrifice fly by Arianna Ramirez.
In the fifth, Utah Tech blew the game open, scoring five runs capitalized by Embrey's three-run blast to center. They tacked on another run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to stretch their lead to 12–3.
Southern Utah mounted a late rally in the seventh, sparked by a three-run homer from Ramirez, but it wasn't enough to overcome Utah Tech's offensive surge, bringing the final score to 12-6.
Game Two Summary
The Thunderbirds came out hot in the bottom of the first inning, putting up two early runs thanks to an RBI double from Miranda and a run-scoring single by Ramirez.
Despite Utah Tech answering with a solo homer in the second and rallying for four runs in the third—capitalizing on an SUU defensive error to take a 5–2 lead—the T-Birds never backed down.
In the bottom of the third, SUU chipped away at the lead. After loading the bases, a hit-by-pitch and an infield single helped them close the gap to 5–4.
Utah Tech briefly extended their lead with another run in the fourth, but the Thunderbirds stormed right back in their half of the inning. Ramirez launched a solo shot to left field, and SUU tied it up 6–6 moments later on a wild pitch following a key double by Alayah Toscano.
Southern Utah grabbed its first lead since the opening inning in the fifth when Ramirez, who went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, delivered yet another RBI single.
In the sixth, the Thunderbirds kept the pressure on. A leadoff single by Boostedt and heads-up baserunning from Hokanson set the table for Toscano, who drove in a run with a groundout. A series of wild pitches later in the inning helped the T-Birds extend the lead to 9–6.
Utah Tech made things tense in the top of the seventh with two home runs, but SUU's defense shut the door just in time to seal the 9-8 victory.
On Deck
The final game of the series will be played at noon on Saturday, April 12. It will be streamed on ESPN+, and live stat links are available on the softball schedule page.
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