TEMPE, Arizona — Southern Utah opened the weekend at the Sun Devil Classic with an 8-1 win over New Mexico State on Friday afternoon before falling to the host from Arizona State in the evening game. The Thunderbirds now sit at 6-7 on the season and will continue the tournament on Saturday.
Taralyn Ollison and Michaella Salvatierra each collected four hits on the day, with Ollison grabbing two doubles and a team-leading six RBIs. Sophomore Michelle De la Cruz racked up three hits as well with three singles. Freshman Alayna Ma'ake and McKenzy Becerra each hit a home run over the two games. Riley Nielson was outstanding in the circle for the T-Birds, pitching a complete game to earn the win, allowing just one run to the powerful New Mexico State offense.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"I was really proud of the way our team competed all day. In that first game against New Mexico State, we didn't panic after giving up the early run. We stayed aggressive, took advantage of opportunities, and Riley was outstanding in the circle. That's a quality win for us. In the second game against Arizona State, I loved our fight. To put up six runs in an inning on the road shows what our offense is capable of. We had chances late and just came up a little short, but the toughness and belief in that dugout is something we can build on heading into tomorrow."
Game 1 Summary
After surrendering a first-inning run, the Thunderbirds kept the pressure on before delivering a decisive blow in the fourth inning.
Taking advantage of a pair of Aggie miscues, SUU loaded the bases and never looked back. Alayna Ma'ake put the T-Birds on the board with an RBI fielder's choice, and Savannah Lira followed with a clutch pinch-hit single to give Southern Utah the lead.
Moments later, Taralyn Ollison cleared the bases with a ringing double to left center, stretching the advantage and swinging all momentum to the T-Birds. Ollison scored in quick succession on a throwing error to bring the score to 6-1.
Freshman McKenzy Becerra added an RBI in the sixth to extend the cushion to 7-1.
The Thunderbirds weren't done scoring as Ma'ake punctuated the afternoon with a towering solo shot to right field in the seventh.
The Thunderbirds' defense and fantastic pitching by Riley Nielson did the rest, holding New Mexico State scoreless over the final six innings to seal a weekend opening win.
Game 2 Summary
Arizona State opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a sacrifice fly to take a 1-0 lead.
Southern Utah's offense erupted in the top of the second, plating six runs on five hits to seize control early. After a leadoff strikeout, Alayah Toscano and Michelle DelaCruz sparked the rally with back-to-back singles. Aubrie Burgos then delivered the big swing, ripping an RBI double to bring home Toscano.
Isabella Knight reached on a fielder's choice to score another run, and Taralyn Ollison blew the inning open with a two-run double to left. Walks from Michaella Salvatierra and Arianna Ramirez loaded the bases before McKenzy Becerra lifted a sacrifice fly to tack on another. Kassidy Munoz capped the scoring with an RBI double to left center, giving SUU a six-run frame.
Arizona State answered in the bottom half. After loading the bases, the Sun Devils pushed one across on a hit-by-pitch before a grand slam to deep left tied the game at 6-6. A late error allowed another runner to reach, but the Thunderbirds escaped further damage after a wild seven-run second inning.
The Thunderbirds scored a go-ahead run in the top of the third when Michelle Dela Cruz scored on a wild pitch. A few pitches later, Isabella Knight also crossed the plate via the wild pitch to make the score 8-6.
The Sun Devils blasted a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to take the lead 9-8. The T-Birds answered with a run at the top of the fifth inning when Ollison singled to shallow right field to score De la Cruz.
Freshman McKenzy Becerra drove a long home run to take the lead in the top of the sixth inning, but the Sun Devils answered back with two runs in the bottom half of the frame to make the score 11-10, which would hold on for the final.
On Deck
The Thunderbirds will continue the Sun Devil Classic, returning to the field Saturday at 10:00 a.m. MT. Southern Utah will take on the University of Michigan, followed by a second matchup with New Mexico State. It will close out the tournament Sunday morning with a rematch against Michigan.
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