CEDAR CITY, Utah—The Thunderbirds wrapped up the regular season with a win and series sweep, beating the Wolverines 4-1 in Orem on Saturday. Southern Utah finishes with a final conference record of 13-11, having won six of eight conference battles, including its last four.
Arianna Ramirez tallied three hits on the day, including two singles and a double. Kassidy Munoz and Ariyana Miranda both had multiple hits, with Miranda bringing in two runs on two hits, including a solo home run. Riley Nielson pitched a gem for the T-Birds, going the distance and allowing just one run on four hits and striking out four batters to earn the win. The redshirt sophomore from Arizona didn't allow a single hit until the fifth inning and pitched six scoreless frames.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"This team showed what belief, resilience, and unity can achieve. Finishing third place in the conference is more than a finish - it's a statement."
How Sweep It Is
The win today gave the Thunderbirds their first conference series sweep since joining the WAC and their first three-game sweep of an opponent since 2021, when Southern Utah took down Idaho State in three straight games in Pocatello.
Game Summary
The Thunderbirds opened the scoring in the second inning when Taralyn Ollison delivered a two-out RBI single through the right side, plating Kassidy Munoz and giving SUU the early edge.
After a few quiet frames, Southern Utah struck again in the fifth. Ariyana Miranda continued her hot streak at the plate, ripping a single down the first base line to drive in Laurie Cooke and double the lead to 2–0.
Miranda wasn't done yet. In the top of the seventh, she launched a solo shot to right center to make it 3–0. Moments later, the Thunderbirds took advantage of a Utah Valley miscue. Alayah Toscano reached on a fielding error, allowing the pinch runner Belle Freund to cross the plate and extend the lead to 4–0.
Utah Valley pushed across a run in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI double by Gibbs. Still, the Wolverines could not mount a comeback against the steady SUU defense and incredible pitching performance by Riley Nielson.
On Deck
The weekend sweep helped earn the Thunderbirds a first-round bye in the Western Athletic Conference tournament next week. Southern Utah enters the postseason as the #3 seed in the bracket and will square off with the winner of the matchup between UT Arlington and the host team, California Baptist. That game will be played in Riverside, California, at 5:00 p.m. MT on Wednesday, May 7. The tournament homepage, which hosts the links to watch and follow live stats, can be found by clicking here.
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