CEDAR CITY, Utah — Southern Utah split a doubleheader with Utah Valley on Fan Appreciation Friday, falling in game one 10-7 before securing a 5-3 victory in game two. The two teams will duke it out for the fourth seed to next week's WAC tournament in Saturday's rubber match.
Offensively, junior Arianna Ramirez was scorching at the plate, going 5-for-7 on the day with four singles and a home run, while tallying three RBIs. Sophomore Michaella Salvatierra also had a day at the plate, picking up five hits with four singles and a triple. Salvatierra also drove in three runs for the T-Birds. Taralyn Ollison picked up three hits on the day, including one in the first game and two in the second. Freshmen McKenzy Becerra and Savannah Lira each added to their home run totals today with solo shots.
In the circle, sophomore Hannah Duncan pitched five innings between the two games, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out two. Redshirt junior Riley Nielson grabbed the game two win, allowing just one hit in three innings of relief and stranding the only base runner she allowed.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"We felt the energy from our community today, and it made a real difference for our team. The support these student-athletes receive here is special, and I'm proud of the way they competed and represented Southern Utah in front of such a great crowd."
Game 1 Summary
Utah Valley exploded out of the gate, scoring five runs on four hits and one T-Bird error to take the early lead. The T-Birds would answer with one run in the bottom half of the inning, when Becerra belted a home run to deep centerfield, making the score 5-1.
The Wolverines pushed the lead back up to five runs, scoring one in the top of the second inning. Utah Valley extended its lead to 10-1 on a big third inning. The Wolverines scored four runs on five hits in the frame.
Despite loading the bases in the bottom half of the third, the Thunderbirds were unable to push a run across in one of the biggest early opportunities of the game for SUU.
The Thunderbirds got some runs back in the bottom of the fourth. Salvatierra hit a hard ground ball to shortstop that scored a pair of runs. Ramirez followed that up with a single to score Ollison and bring the score to 10-4.
Freshman Savannah Lira narrowed the gap further with a deep home run to left field to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning. Toscano and Mozeris grabbed back-to-back hits, and Isabella Knight hit a deep sacrifice fly ball, scoring Toscano. Salvatierra cut into the lead with another infield single to score Mozeris and make the score 10-7.
The T-Birds got base runners in the sixth and seventh innings but were unable to complete the comeback.
Game 2 Summary
Utah Valley opened game two in a similar fashion, hitting two home runs in the top of the first frame to take a 2-0 lead. Southern Utah wasted no time in evening the score with a two-run home run by Arianna Ramirez, scoring Ollison.
In the top of the second inning, the Wolverines took the lead, plating one run to make the score 3-2.
Southern Utah tied the game up in the bottom of the fifth inning. Knight led off the frame with a ground-rule double before Ollison singled to centerfield, scoring her. The T-Birds took their first lead of the game when Salvatierra and Ollison executed the double steal, allowing Ollison to cross the plate. Becerra drove a single up the middle to score Salvatierra and make the score 5-3.
The final two innings went quietly for the Thunderbirds to secure the 5-3 win and ensure that the team can finish no lower than fifth in the final regular-season standings.
On Deck
The T-Birds will wrap up the regular season with a single game on Saturday, May 2, at noon MT for the season finale. The Thunderbirds will honor the seniors on Saturday with a short presentation. All games will be broadcast on ESPN+, and live stats are available through the link on the schedule page at suutbirds.com.
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