CEDAR CITY, Utah — Southern Utah took on Tarleton State Friday afternoon in a doubleheader. Despite jumping out to an early lead in game one, the T-Birds fell 10-3. The Texans got off to a hot start in game two and never looked back, taking it 7-1. The Thunderbirds fall to 2-6 in WAC play with a 16-22 record on the year.
The Thunderbirds were led at the plate by junior infielder Arianna Ramirez, who collected three hits on the day. Freshman Alayna hit her third home run of the season in game one, while Senior Alayah Toscano hit her first career home run to give the T-Birds their only run of game two.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"I thought we did some good things early, but we didn't stay consistent. You can't give up big innings like that and expect to win. In game two, we put ourselves behind right away. We've got to be tougher in the circle and cleaner defensively. We'll regroup and be ready tomorrow."
Game 1 Summary
Southern Utah came out aggressively in the top of the first, loading the bases with three straight singles from Taralyn Ollison, Michaella Salvatierra, and Arianna Ramirez. The Thunderbirds capitalized on the early pressure, taking a 2-0 lead on a sacrifice fly from McKenzy Becerra and an RBI by Kassidy Munoz.
SUU threatened again in the second after a leadoff double from senior Alayah Toscano, but the Texans worked out of the jam to keep the deficit at two.
Tarleton State flipped the game in the bottom of the second, stringing together timely hits with two outs. Wittram delivered a two-run single to tie the game, and a follow-up RBI knock from DeBose pushed the Texans in front 3-2. Tarleton added to its lead in the third on a solo home run by Duke, making it 4-2.
SUU responded in the fourth when freshman Alayna Ma'ake brought the Thunderbirds back within one with a solo shot to left center, trimming the deficit to 4-3.
The game broke open in the bottom of the fifth as Tarleton State's offense erupted. The Texans scored a six-run inning that stretched the lead to 10-3.
Southern Utah was unable to mount a comeback down the stretch, managing just two hits over the final two innings as Tarleton State closed out the 10-3 victory.
Game 2 Summary
Tarleton State continued to have an explosive offense in the first inning of game two. The Texans picked up five runs on seven hits in the frame to take the early lead.
After a quiet second inning, the Thunderbirds got on the board in the top of the third inning on a solo home run by Toscano. Tarleton State would answer in the bottom half of the inning with two runs, including one via an obstruction call.
The Thunderbirds would threaten again in the fifth inning with two runners on, but the Texans' defense would hold strong to keep the 7-1 lead. Avery Nielson would crack down with a quick three-up, three-down inning, including two strikeouts, sending the game to the sixth.
The final two innings went quickly and quietly as the Texans held on for the win.
On Deck
The T-Birds continue the series against the Texans on Saturday, April 11, at 11:00 a.m. MT. Live stats for the game will be available on the schedule link at suutbirds.com, and the game will be broadcast on WAC international.
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