ST. GEORGE, Utah — Southern Utah Softball continued the weekend by playing Utah State in St. George. A tight pitchers' duel the whole way, both teams' starters pitched the complete game with the Aggies edging the Thunderbirds 2-1. Southern Utah falls to 7-11 on the season.
The Thunderbirds' only multi-hit player in the game was catcher Kassidy Munoz, who picked up two hits. Freshman McKenzy Becerra tallied the lone RBI of the game for Southern Utah on her hit in the fourth inning. The true story of the game was pitcher Hannah Duncan, who pitched six innings in the effort. Duncan struck out nine batters, almost matching her season total of 11 in prior games. Duncan allowed just four hits and two earned runs with one walk.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"I'm incredibly proud of Hannah and the way she competed today. That's the best we've seen her all season: nine strikeouts, attacking hitters, and keeping us in the game every pitch. She gave us more than enough to win. It's frustrating because when you get that kind of performance in the circle, you want to find a way to support it with a little more offense. We were right there, but we've got to do a better job of capitalizing on opportunities and finishing games like this."
Game Summary
The game began as a pitcher's duel, but the Thunderbirds struck first in the top of the fourth inning. Freshman McKenzy Becerra roped a line drive through the left side of the infield for a single before Kassidy Munoz moved her to second on a hard groundball to the first baseman. Michelle De la Cruz followed that up with an RBI single to shallow center field, giving the T-Birds the 1-0 lead.
Utah State answered in the bottom of the fifth with a leadoff home run to knot the game up at 1-1. The Thunderbirds escaped the inning without further damage thanks to solid defensive work and great pitching.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, the Aggies took the 2-1 lead on another solo home run. The Thunderbirds would get a baserunner in the top of the seventh but were unable to score the run to continue the game.
On Deck
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 on the new Kathryn Berg Field. 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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