ST. GEORGE, Utah — Southern Utah Softball opened the weekend by playing the University of Utah in St. George. Despite falling behind early, the Thunderbirds battled to the end, coming back to make it a close game but falling 4-3. The T-Birds now sit at 7-10 on the season.
Arianna Ramirez was key for the Thunderbirds with 2 hits, including a solo home run, her first of the season, and an RBI single. Outfielder Taralyn Ollison picked up two hits in the game as well. McKenzy Becerra grabbed the other RBI for Southern Utah on a single in the top of the 7th. Freshman pitcher Avery Nielson came in to pitch 5.1 innings in relief and held the Utes scoreless. Nielsen allowed just three hits, picking up one strikeout.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"I'm really proud of how our team responded after that first inning. We could've let it get away from us, but instead we settled in, competed pitch by pitch, and gave ourselves a chance at the end. Avery did a tremendous job coming in and shutting the door, and I loved the fight we showed offensively late. That's the kind of toughness we can build on as we move forward."
Game Summary
The Utes struck first in the bottom of the first inning, stringing together multiple singles to get base runners and then driving them in to take a 4-0 lead.
The game turned into a defensive battle for the next five innings with neither team able to plate a run.
In the top of the sixth inning, Arianna Ramirez led off by working a count before driving a home run to deep left field to make the score 4-1.
Southern Utah battled to the end. In the top of the seventh, the Thunderbirds put together a few singles in a row, including RBIs for Ramirez and McKenzy Becerra to bring the score to 4-3. A sharp ground ball to the third baseman ended the game in what was a tight contest.
On Deck
The Thunderbirds are set to continue the weekend tournament on Friday against Utah State at 10:00 a.m. MT. Southern Utah will get a rematch with the Utes on Saturday at 10:00 a.m., then wrap up the weekend with a home doubleheader against Weber State beginning Sunday at noon. Live stats are available through the schedule link on suutbirds.com.
Home Opener
The Thunderbirds will open the new Katherine Berg Field on Sunday, March 1, with a ribbon-cutting at 11:45 a.m. MT. Southern Utah will then take on Weber State in a doubleheader to wrap up the weekend of competition. Those games will be streamed on ESPN+, and live stats are available through the schedule link on suutbirds.com.
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