CEDAR CITY, Utah — The Thunderbirds earned a first-round bye in next week's WAC tournament with two massive wins over in-state rival UVU on Friday. The Thunderbirds picked up a 5-3 victory in game one and followed it up with an incredible come-from-behind 10-6 win in game two. The Thunderbirds now sit in third place in the conference with a 12-11 record in WAC play.
Centerfielder Alayah Toscano racked up four hits and one RBI on the day to lead the Thunderbirds at the plate. Arianna Ramirez and Amyah Boostedt each collected three hits, with Boostedt scoring an incredible 5 RBIs. In all, six Thunderbirds spread multiple hits across the two games.
Freshman Pitcher Maddie Moreno earned both a win and a save in the circle, taking on a distinct closer role for the T-Birds. Moreno pitched 2.2 scoreless innings in the effort. Sophomore Emily Delgado pitched nearly the entire first game to earn the win, going 6.1 innings and allowing just two earned runs on nine hits. Senior Keimon Winston started game two, pitching five innings, surrendering six runs on eight hits, and striking out two.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"This team continues to meet pressure with poise and comes through with clutch performances. I am so proud of this team win."
WAC Seeding
Southern Utah will enter Saturday's regular season finale in third place in the conference. A win will earn the Thunderbirds the #3 seed, but they also clinch that spot with a loss by Abilene Christian. The Wildcats take on regular season WAC champion Grand Canyon in their final game, starting at 11:00 a.m. MT.
Game One Summary
The Thunderbirds struck early, capitalizing on a stolen base and a pair of passed balls in the first to take a 1–0 lead as Michaella Salvatierra crossed the plate.
UVU answered in the second, stringing together a pair of RBI plays, a base hit up the middle by Gibbs and a sacrifice fly by Rodriguez, to move in front, 2–1.
But the fourth belonged to Southern Utah as Kassidy Munoz ignited the rally with a triple down the right-field line to score Arianna Ramirez and even the game. Alayah Toscano followed with a sharp single up the middle to give SUU the lead, and Taralyn Ollison capped the frame with an RBI knock of her own, making it 4–2.
In the seventh, Ariyana Miranda added some breathing room with a towering solo shot to left for her second RBI of the day, to stretch the lead to three.
UVU managed to plate one unearned run in the bottom half of the inning, but it wasn't enough as the Thunderbirds held on for the win.
Game Two Summary
The game opened with SUU capitalizing on a defensive miscue. After back-to-back baserunners, Laurie Cooke crossed the plate when Kassidy Munoz reached on a fielding error by the third baseman, giving the Thunderbirds an early 1–0 lead.
Utah Valley responded quickly in the bottom half. With runners on first and third, Rodriguez hit into a fielder's choice to the pitcher, allowing Moreno to score and tie the game at 1–1.
The Wolverines took control in the third when Hall ripped a double to left-center, scoring Moreno from second to make it 2–1. Moments later, Mann followed with a nearly identical shot to bring Hall home and stretch UVU's lead to 3–1.
Southern Utah responded in the fifth. With the bases loaded, Boostedt smashed a 1-0 pitch into the right-center gap, clearing the bases as Munoz, Ramirez, and Miranda all came around to score. The three-run double gave the Thunderbirds a 4–3 lead.
UVU answered once again in the bottom of the inning. Rodriguez dropped a bunt single back to the pitcher, but a wild throw allowed two runs to score, putting the Wolverines back in front, 5–4. Rodriguez advanced all the way to third on the error, then came home on a sacrifice fly by Hall to extend the lead to 6–4.
Trailing by two in the bottom of the seventh, Miranda led off with a walk, and pinch runner Tasha Hokansen came around to score on a line-drive double down the right-field line by Ramirez, making it 6–5. After an error put Munoz on base, Boostedt stepped in again and delivered a two-run double to left field, giving Southern Utah the lead back at 7–6.
The Thunderbirds weren't done. With two on, Salvatierra singled sharply up the middle and advanced to second on the throw as two more runs came in, pushing the lead to 9–6. Ollison then came around on an RBI groundout by Cooke to cap the six-run inning.
Freshman Maddie Moreno shut the door in the final frame, securing a statement win and a first-round bye in the WAC tournament.
On Deck
The series finale against UVU will take place on Saturday, May 3, at 1:00 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, and live stats can be found on the schedule page.
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