CEDAR CITY, Utah — Southern Utah grabbed the final game of the weekend against Utah Tech 12-4 in five innings. The Thunderbirds improve to 16-20 on the season and now sit at 2-4 in WAC play.
The T-Birds got a huge offensive effort from freshman Savannah Lira, who was a triple shy of hitting the cycle on the day. Lira finished 3-4 with five RBIs in the game. Sophomore Michaella Salvatierra and freshman McKenzy Becerra each contributed two hits and one RBI to the team's effort. Junior Arianna Ramirez picked up three RBIs on one hit in the battle.
In the circle, senior Delaney Baker grabbed the win with a five-inning complete game, allowing three earned runs on eight hits and striking out a pair of batters. The win was Baker's fourth of the season.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"After yesterday's performance, we came back swinging, literally. This was a total team effort and proved that we can bounce back after adversity. Delaney Baker was lights out in the circle. Shutting them down for the five full innings. That is the kind of grit and response we need from this team on a consistent basis.
Game Summary
Utah Tech struck first in the bottom of the opening inning, using a leadoff double and a pair of RBI knocks, one of them aided by a Thunderbird error, to jump out to a quick 2-0 lead.
Southern Utah had a chance in the first after an error put Michaella Salvatierra in scoring position, but couldn't capitalize. The momentum flipped hard in the second.
After Kassidy Munoz reached on an error, Savannah Lira got the Thunderbirds on the board with an RBI double. Two batters later, with the bases loaded, Salvatierra tied the game with an RBI single. Then came the early knockout swing. Arianna Ramirez ripped a bases-clearing single up the middle, plating three runs to cap a five-run inning and give Southern Utah a commanding 5-2 lead.
From there, the Thunderbirds never let up. In the third, Munoz singled to spark things again, and Lira followed by launching a two-run homer to left, stretching the lead to 7-2 and forcing a pitching change.
Southern Utah added even more separation in the fourth with another big inning. Tawnie Mozeris and McKenzy Becerra opened with back-to-back singles, and after Munoz was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Lira delivered again, this time with a two-RBI single. Alayah Toscano followed with an RBI knock of her own to push the lead to 10-2.
Utah Tech showed some life in the bottom half, using a triple down the right-field line to bring home two runs and cut it to 10-4, but that was as close as they would get.
The Thunderbirds answered immediately in the fifth. Salvatierra singled to get things going, and Becerra broke it open with an RBI triple to left center before scoring on a wild pitch to make it 12-4.
From there, Southern Utah slammed the door. Utah Tech put a couple of runners on in the bottom of the fifth, but couldn't push anything across as the Thunderbirds closed out the run-rule victory.
On Deck
The Thunderbirds will be on the road again after a bye week. Southern Utah will take on Tarleton State, opening the weekend set with a doubleheader at 3:00 p.m. MT on Friday, April 10. The T-Birds continue the series against the Texans on Saturday, April 11, at 11:00 a.m. MT. Live stats for the games will be available on the schedule link at suutbirds.com, and the games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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