April 13, 2001
LOGAN, Utah - USU's softball team broke a ten game losing streak Friday splitting a double-header with Big West opponent Sacramento State Friday at the LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field. The Aggies were shut out in the first game 9-0 but bounced back to record an exciting 9-8 win in game two.
The first game saw Sacramento State's Jillian Bivert pitch a one-hitter over five innings of play. CSUS exploded in the first inning scoring five runs on four hits and a Utah State error. Sac State was held scoreless in the next two innings but then put the ballgame out of reach in the fourth scoring four additional runs on five Hornet hits.
Game two was quite a different story as the Aggies saw the lead exchange five different times before they came away with the victory. USU opened the game with a run off a triple by Breanne Nickle that brought in Shannon Acevedo. Sac State answered in the third scoring four runs. Cathy Coupar drove in two runs on a single to center, while Amber Dragomir and Cathy Coupar each scored on a hit and a passed ball, respectively.
The Hornet lead would not last long as Utah State rebounded back from the 6-5 deficit to score four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Shannon Acevedo singled to leftfield and was followed up by a double to left center by Nickle. Acevedo and Nickle then scored on a single by Markean Neal and a Hornet throwing error. Kara Tarbet was walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Heather Curtis launched a single to center to drive in Tarbet and the Aggies final run.
CSUS put up two more runs in the top of the seventh but it would not prove to be enough as Aggie pitcher Xochitl Ramirez chalked up her first win of the season.
USU improved to 6-30 on the season (2-9 in conference) and Sacramento State moved to 15-27 overll (3-8 in conference). Utah State will conclude its three-game series with Sacramento State tomorrow with a single-game at 1 p.m.
SACRAMENTO STATE 9, UTAH STATE 0CSUS - 500 40 - 9 12 1USU - 000 00 - 0 1 4WP - Jillian Bivert, CSUS, LP - Kristin Hommel, USU, 2B - Yolanda Estrada, Patty Villa (2), CSUS.
UTAH STATE 9, SACRAMENTO STATE 8CSUS - 004 020 2 - 8 7 2USU - 100 440 X -9 12 3WP - Xochitl Ramirez, USU, LP - Nicole Deatherage, CSUS, HR - Jillian Bivert, USU, 3B - Casey Smith, Breanne Nickle, Jenn Hopkins, USU, 2B - Breanne Nickle, USU.
