LOS ANGELES, California —
On a night known for bad luck, the Southern Utah Thunderbirds flipped the script. Playing on Friday the 13th, SUU shook off an early scare and delivered a pair of wins at the Loyola Marymount Tournament, rallying past Portland State 7–4 before haunting the host Lions with a 3–1 victory in the nightcap.
The win over LMU marked the first in program history, and the Thunderbirds improved to 13–15 on the season. Southern Utah will continue tournament play on Saturday.
Freshman McKenzy Becerra delivered the biggest fright of the day for opposing pitchers in game one, collecting two hits, including a towering home run and a double. Sophomore Michelle De la Cruz piled up three hits across the two games, including a pair of singles and an RBI double. Arianna Ramirez came through in the second game with two RBIs on two hits to help seal the victory.
Freshman Avery Nielson earned the win in the circle in game one, tossing six innings of relief and quieting the Viking lineup. Nielson allowed just one run on five hits while striking out four and improving to 5–1 on the season. She returned in game two to close the door, recording her second save of the year with another strikeout.
Sophomore Hannah Duncan picked up the victory in the nightcap, pitching six strong innings and allowing just one run on six hits while striking out seven.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"Today showed a lot about the fight in this team. We got down early in the first game, but never lost our composure. McKenzy gave us a big spark with the home run, and our lineup kept putting pressure on them until we broke through. In the second game, Hannah was outstanding in the circle, and Avery came in to finish it off, and that's exactly the kind of team effort we're looking for. Getting our first win over LMU is a great moment for this program, but the biggest thing is the way our players competed all day."
Game 1 Summary
Portland State struck first in the opening inning, jumping out to a quick 2–0 lead after a leadoff single from Johnson and an RBI knock from Martinez. Another passed ball later in the inning allowed the Vikings to push the early advantage.
Southern Utah answered in the second. Singles from Alayah Toscano and Isabella Knight, along with a double that put runners in scoring position, set the stage for Taralyn Ollison, who delivered an RBI single to bring Toscano home and cut the deficit to 2–1.
The Vikings added a sacrifice fly later in the inning to make it 3–1 before extending the lead to 4–1 in the third on a solo home run from Llamas.
For several innings, the Thunderbirds' bats were quiet, but the comeback was brewing.
The turning point came in the sixth inning when McKenzy Becerra launched a solo home run to left field, sending a jolt through the SUU dugout and cutting the deficit to 4–2. Moments later, Kassidy Munoz scored on an RBI single from Savannah Lira, and the Thunderbirds tied the game at 4–4 when Michelle De la Cruz crossed the plate on a Portland State error.
With momentum on their side, the Thunderbirds delivered the knockout in the seventh.
Michaella Salvatierra opened the inning with a single, and Becerra followed with a double down the right-field line. An error by the Viking shortstop allowed Salvatierra to score the go-ahead run, and a wild pitch moments later brought another runner home to extend the lead to 6–4. De la Cruz added an insurance run with an RBI single to make it 7–4.
Portland State put a runner on in the bottom half of the inning, but couldn't break through, as the Thunderbirds sealed the victory with a game-ending double play.
Game 2 Summary
Southern Utah struck first in the nightcap when freshman Savannah Lira blasted a home run to left-center field in the top of the second inning, giving the Thunderbirds a 1–0 lead.
In the third inning, SUU loaded the bases before Arianna Ramirez ripped a ball through the left side of the infield to score Salvatierra and Ollison, pushing the lead to 3–0.
LMU managed to get on the board in the fourth inning when Carlson connected on a solo home run over the right-field wall, trimming the deficit to 3–1.
From there, Hannah Duncan kept the Lions' offense quiet, working through six strong innings before Avery Nielson entered in the seventh. Nielson shut the door with a strikeout to secure the 3–1 win and complete the Thunderbirds' Friday the 13th sweep.
On Deck
The tournament continues tomorrow, with the Thunderbirds taking on Portland State on Saturday, March 14, at 1:30 p.m. MT. The T-Birds will also challenge the host team, Loyola Marymount, at 4:00 p.m. Live stats will be available on the schedule link at suutbirds.com, and the LMU game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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