March 4, 2007

Box Score

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Utah State softball now has many wins through only 20 games as the Aggies had all of last season in 46 games, after USU beat Colorado State, 3-2, Sunday morning at the double-round-robin Colorado State Softball Tournament at CSU's Ram Field at Fort Collins, Colo. USU ended the day with a 9-5 loss to Northern Colorado.

The split now gives the Aggies an 8-12 record in USU's first year under head coach Candi Letts, matching last season's win total when USU was 8-38.

USU is now 26-15 all-time against Colorado State and 20-12 vs. Northern Colorado.

In the first game, USU gave up a two home runs to Colorado State in the third inning, but then sophomore pitcher Lindsey Benson got into a groove and the Aggie defense put the clamps on the Rams, not allowing another run. CSU loaded the bases with two outs, but Benson got a strikeout to end the rally and leave the bases juiced.

Benson went the distance, logging a career-high 10 strikeouts, topping her previous high of nine strikeouts, set in Thursday's win at Northern Colorado. For the season, Benson now has 47 strikeouts in nine appearances, nearly doubling last season's 47 K's in 15 appearances.

"Benson pitched a great game," Letts said. "The defense made some great plays and the offense got going in the seventh."

The Aggie bats came to life in the top of the seventh, as senior RF Jamie Fife led off with a double down the right field line. Junior 3B Amy Schaible followed with a walk. After junior SS Tara Evans popped up to the catcher, sophomore 1B Aubrie Stroman singled through the right side to move Schaible to third and plate Fife.

Colorado State made a pitching change, and it worked for one out, as junior C Heather Haak grounded out to third, advancing freshman Amanda Grow, who was pinch-running for Stroman. Senior Ashley Bellum then laced a double down the left field line to score Schaible and Grow and put USU ahead, 3-2.

Benson got a ground out and a strikeout sandwiched around a walk, then got another groundout to end the game and get the win, Benson's fifth of the season, as she is now 5-2.

"It is a good feeling to beat Colorado State, because they are a really good team," Letts said. "Our kids did a great job of hanging in there and they really learned how to compete today."

Stroman went 2-3, while Fife, Bellum and senior LF Lauren Guzman were all 1-3.

In the second game, Northern Colorado plated three in the top of the third before Utah State countered with two in the bottom of the inning on a two-run home run from Schaible.

After UNC plated one more in the top of the fifth, USU hung three on the board in the bottom of the frame with Fife delivering a two-run single and Stroman later plated Fife with a double to right center, and the Aggies took a 5-4 lead.

However the Bears roared back with a three-spot in the sixth and two more in the seventh for the final 9-5 score.

USU had 10 hits, but committed three errors.

Schaible and Stroman were 2-3, while Bellum was 2-4 and Fife was 1-3. Both Schaible and Fife had two RBI's apiece. Evans, freshman 2B Nicole Rupp and senior C Jami Uragami had one hit each.

Starting pitcher freshman Stacey Ellingsworth went five innings, allowing four runs on three hits while striking out five, before giving way to senior Lexy Perry, who gave up five runs on six hits and took the loss, falling to 1-2 on the season.

"It was disappointing to lose the second game. We feel that we allowed them to beat us. We need to do a better job of being more consistent," Letts said.

USU went 4-2 on the weekend, as Letts had a successful return to Fort Collins as she was the head coach at Colorado State from 1994-98, and has the highest winning percentage (.602 on 160 wins) in the program's history.

The Aggies have also surpassed last season's home run total, as they had 18 all of last season through 46 games, and now have 21 round-trippers through 20 games this season. USU has also topped last season's stolen base total, nearly matching last season's total of 13 stolen bases with 12 swipes in the six games this weekend. On the year, USU now has 28 stolen bases in 38 attempts.

Utah State is off until heading to the Cascade Invitational at Eugene and Corvallis, Ore March 16-18. The Aggies will face 22nd-ranked Oregon on March 16, then Portland State and Oregon State on March 17 before wrapping up with Towson on March 18.