PHOENIX, Arizona — The Thunderbirds took on Weber State Sunday in the final matchup of the GCU Kickoff Classic. The Thunderbirds started fast and added on to grab a 6-3 win. The T-Birds improved to 2-5 with the win, overcoming a slow start to the weekend.
The T-Birds had three players with multi-hit games today, including Arianna Ramirez, who was 2-4 with three RBIs. Freshman Savannah Lira also grabbed an RBI on two hits, while sophomore Michelle De la Cruz blasted the team's first home run of the season, along with another hit.
In the circle, Delaney Baker was solid, pitching 5.1 innings and allowing two earned runs while striking out three batters. Baker was credited with the win while sophomore Hannah Duncan pitched 1.2 innings of relief to close the door on the Wildcats.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"I loved the way we came out and set the tone early today. Our offense was aggressive from the first pitch, and Arianna did a great job driving runs in when we needed them. Delaney gave us a really solid start in the circle, and Hannah came in and finished the job. After a tough start to the weekend, this was a big response from our group and a good step forward for us."
Game Summary
SUU struck first in the opening inning. Taralyn Ollison set the tone with a lead off single before Michaella Salvatierra reached via a fielder's choice. Salvatierra stole second base before Arianna Ramirez drove her in with an RBI single up the middle. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases, and Savannah Lira followed with a sacrifice fly to left to plate the second run of the inning and give the T-Birds the early 2-0 lead.
Weber State threatened in the bottom half of the inning, but Delany Baker was able to pitch her way out of it with a strikeout, pop fly, and quick ground ball back to the pitcher.
The Thunderbirds added two more runs on a hard single up the middle by Ramirez to make the score 4-0 after two innings.
In the top of the third inning, the Thunderbirds put another run on the board when pinch hitter Alayna Ma'ake drilled a double to right-center to drive in Lira and bring the lead to 5-0.
The Wildcats got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning with a triple and an RBI single to make the score 5-1. Weber State added another run in the sixth inning.
The T-Birds bounced back with a huge home run by Michelle De la Cruz to extend the lead back to 6-2. Despite giving up a run in the bottom of the seventh, the T-Birds would hang on to win 6-3.
On Deck
The Thunderbirds will be back on the road next weekend at the San Diego Softball Tournament. Southern Utah will take on Omaha, Boise State, and the host team, the University of San Diego, in the three-day tournament. Games begin on Friday, February 13, at 12:30 p.m. MT. All stats will be available on suutbirds.com.
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