SAN DIEGO, California — The Thunderbirds were on the road once again for a tournament in San Diego beginning on Friday with two games. Southern Utah fell in game one to a very good Omaha Mavericks team, 9-0 in five innings. In the evening game, the T-Birds took down the host team from the University of San Diego 8-6.
Senior Alayah Toscano led the Thunderbirds at the plate, racking up two runs and two RBIs on four hits between the two games. Arianna Ramirez was also impactful with four hits on the day, including her first double of the season. Taralyn Ollison had two hits, including an RBI double. Despite only collecting one hit, Aubrie Burgos made it count, grabbing three RBIs in the San Diego Game.
Sophomore Pitcher Hannah Duncan was effective, holding the home team to four runs on six hits to earn the game two win. Freshman Avery Nielson earned the save in game two.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"Great win tonight against San Diego, 8-6, bouncing back strong after a tough 0-9 shutout by a solid Omaha team earlier today. We exploded for 10 hits and showed great plate discipline to earn this one.
Alayah Toscano had a great day at the plate—going 3-for-3 with 4 RBIs, staying locked in with a patient approach, working counts, and crushing pitches in the zone to spark our rallies and drive in big runs.
Team effort all around."
Game 1 Summary
Omaha opened the scoring in the first inning after a two-out single and a pair of passed balls moved runners into scoring position. A wild pitch brought home the game's first run before SUU escaped further damage.
The Mavericks added another in the second, using a leadoff walk, a wild pitch, and an RBI groundout to make it 2–0 despite not recording a hit in the frame.
The third inning proved decisive. After a single and a fielder's choice, an error allowed Omaha to extend the inning. A two-run double to right center and another RBI double pushed the lead to 5–0 before SUU recorded the final out.
Southern Utah threatened in the third when Toscano singled and moved to second on a passed ball, but a flyout and two groundouts ended the opportunity.
In the fourth, back-to-back singles from Ramirez and Becerra put two aboard with one out, yet a flyout and strikeout stranded both runners.
Omaha broke the game open in the fifth. A leadoff double set the tone, followed by another RBI double and a two-run single to stretch the advantage. A wild pitch later in the inning allowed another run to score, giving the Mavericks a 9–0 lead.
The Thunderbirds continued to battle in the bottom of the fifth, getting baserunners after a hit-by-pitch and a single from Ollison, but once again were unable to convert, stranding a pair to end the frame.
Game 2 Summary
San Diego picked up the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly in the first inning to make the score 1-0.
The T-Birds answered back with a sacrifice fly with bases loaded by Aubrie Burgos to score Savannah Lira. The next pitch, Alayah Toscano scored on a passed ball to give the Thunderbirds the 2-1 lead.
The Toreros looked like they were about to score in the bottom of the third, but great defense and pitching left two runners stranded, and the T-Birds still in front.
During the next frame, the T-Birds scored again with an RBI double down the left field line by Taralyn Ollison, bringing the score to 3-1.
Southern Utah extended its lead to 6-1 in the top of the fifth inning. With bases loaded, Aubrie Burgos hit a laser at the second baseman that ricocheted into the outfield to score three runs.
The Toreros got a pair of runs back in the bottom half of the frame on a two-run blast to make the score 6-3.
The Thunderbirds kept the gas pedal down, scoring two more runs on a huge RBI double down the left field line by Toscano, bringing the score to 8-3.
San Diego battled back to score three runs before the Thunderbirds shut them down for the win.
On Deck
The Thunderbirds will be back on the field tomorrow to take on Boise State at 3:00 p.m. MT. Southern Utah will wrap up the weekend with another single game against the Broncos on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. MT. All stats will be available on suutbirds.com.
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