LOS ANGELES, California — Southern Utah wrapped up the LMU Tournament with a 3-1 weekend after splitting Saturday's games. The Thunderbirds secured their second win of the weekend over Portland State, 3-2, before falling in a heartbreaking 3-2 decision to Loyola Marymount. Southern Utah now heads into conference play with a 14-16 overall record on the season.
Several Thunderbirds contributed offensively across the two contests, led by Taralyn Ollison at the top of the lineup. The senior outfielder went 3-for-6 on the day, scoring a run and driving in another in the opener while continuing to set the tone offensively for Southern Utah.
Savannah Lira also delivered in the second game, finishing 2-for-3 with an RBI to account for the Thunderbirds' lone run driven in during the contest. In game one, Kassidy Munoz chipped in with an RBI single as part of a 1-for-3 performance, while Michaella Salvatierra added a hit and an RBI to help Southern Utah plate three runs.
Riley Nielson earned the win in game one, pitching four innings and allowing two runs on six hits while striking out two. Sophomore Hannah Duncan picked up the save with three strong innings of relief, giving up just two hits while striking out four.
In game two, freshman Avery Nielson was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out two. Duncan again provided solid relief, tossing 2.1 innings and surrendering just one hit while striking out four.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"I'm proud of the way our team competed this weekend. We got contributions up and down the lineup, and our pitching staff really battled in some tight situations. It's tough to come up just short in that last game, but there's a lot we can build on as we head into conference play."
Game 1 Summary
Portland State recorded a one-out single, but Southern Utah turned a double play to end the threat in the top of the first inning.
In the bottom half, the Thunderbirds loaded the bases with three straight singles from Taralyn Ollison, Michaella Salvatierra, and McKenzy Becerra. Kassidy Muñoz brought home Ollison with an RBI single to give SUU a 1-0 lead at the end of the first frame.
The Vikings took the lead in the top of the second when Carsley hit a two-run home run to left center. Southern Utah answered in the bottom half after Alayah Toscano reached on a hit-by-pitch and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Salvatierra to tie the game at 2-2.
In the third, Portland State collected three singles in the inning but left two runners stranded on the bases due to solid pitching and defense.
De la Cruz opened the bottom of the fourth inning with a double and later scored when Ollison drove an RBI double to left center, giving the Thunderbirds a 3-2 advantage.
Both teams threatened, but strong pitching and defense kept the score unchanged as runners were left on base in multiple innings.
Southern Utah retired the Vikings in order in the seventh inning to close out the game and secure the 3-2 win.
Game 2 Summary
In game two, the T-Birds were taking on LMU, looking to try and extend their winning streak to four games.
It was the Lions who would strike first in the bottom of the second on a long home run to left field to make the score 1-0. Loyola Marymount would add to the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Lions scraped together a few consecutive hits and scored a pair of runs.
With the lead now at 3-0, coach Williams turned to the bullpen, bringing in Hannah Duncan, who immediately got out of the bases-loaded jam.
The Thunderbirds finally broke through in the top of the sixth inning. After loading the bases, a pitching change for the Lions was met with two quick outs. Savannah Lira dribbled a ball to the right side for an RBI single. LMU got out of the jam, though, with the next batter grounding out to keep the score at 3-1.
The T-Birds narrowed the gap further in the top of the seventh when Toscano and Knight led off with back-to-back base hits, followed by a hard ground ball off the glove of the pitcher by Ollison to load the bases. Salvatierra walked, bringing the score to 3-2, but the Lions prevailed after a strikeout and a double play ended the threat.
On Deck
The Thunderbirds will open WAC play next week against a tough California Baptist team. The T-Birds return to the newly minted Kathryn Berg field in Cedar City next Friday, March 20, at 1:00 p.m. MT for a doubleheader against the Lancers. Southern Utah will continue that series on Saturday, March 21, at noon MT. Live stats for the series will be available on the schedule link at suutbirds.com, and all three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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