April 3, 2007

Box Score | Photo Gallery

LOGAN, Utah - Tuesday's home opening action for Utah State softball at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field was a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs, as the Aggies got run-ruled in six innings by the visiting Wolverines of Utah Valley State, 11-0, before USU bounced back to win the second game of the twinbill, 7-1.

Utah State rapped out 12 hits in the second game, one shy of the Aggies' season-high and tied a season-high for most runs in an inning by hanging a five-spot on the board in the fourth frame of game two.

UVSC's win snapped its five-game losing skid, while USU's victory snapped a six-game slide with its win in the nightcap. The Aggies are now 10-21 overall, reaching double-digits in the win column for the first time in three years, topping last season's 8-38 record. The 10-21 ledger matches USU's best record through 31 games of the 2000's, tying the 2005 and 2000 squad. UVSC is 10-19 after Tuesday's split.

USU sophomore pitcher Lindsey Benson logged a career-high 11 strikeouts in game one, but also yielded 11 runs off 10 hits, giving way to senior reliever Jill Bruins who go the final two outs in the top of the sixth. Benson dropped to 5-7 with the loss.

Senior pitcher Lexy Perry went the distance in the second game, only allowing an unearned run, while spraying 10 hits and recording three strikeouts. Perry improved to 3-3 with the win.

Junior C Heather Haak went 2-3 in game one, extending her team-high hitting streak to five games, while senior 1B/DH Jamie Fife was also 2-3 both games with a triple and one RBI in game one. Fife stretched her hitting streak to four games and improved her team-leading average to .354. In the last four games, Fife is 7-11 (.636).

Freshman LF Amanda Grow was 2-4 with a run scored in the night cap, while senior C Jami Uragami was 2-3 with a run scored and junior 2B Whitnie Ray was 2-2 with a run scored and blasted a two-run double to left that put USU ahead for good as part of the Aggies' five-run fourth inning.

After UVSC had scored a run in the top of the fourth, junior SS Tara Evans walked and advanced to third after an Uragami single to right, who moved to second on the throw. Senior RF Lauren Guzman then laid down a suicide squeeze bunt down the first base line to score a sliding Evans and move Uragami to third. Ray then followed with her two-run double to score both Uragami and Guzman. Two batters later, Grow followed with an infield single and Ray rounded third and made it home on the throw. Fife then laced a triple to right to score Grow and cap USU's five-run rally.

The Aggies hung two runs in the fifth on a two-run home run to left by Evans, plating junior 3B Amy Schaible who led off the inning with a single. It was the third home run of the season for Evans. Uragami belted the next pitch off the fence in left, but USU's spine-tingling excitement was thwarted to end the inning and the scoring.

In game one, UVSC belted three home runs, a two-run shot by Jamie Tonis in the fifth, a solo shot by Jasmine Joyce in the sixth and a three-run blast by Heidi Boyer also in the sixth.

Utah State stays at Johnson Field for the second part of the five-game homestand this weekend, when the Aggies host Nevada in a Western Athletic Conference three-game series. USU hosts UNR in a single game on Friday, April 6 with first pitch slated for 3 p.m. The Aggies and Wolf Pack return to the diamond on Saturday, April 7 to tangle in a twinbill starting at 1 p.m.

Admission to all home USU softball games is free to the public.