May 3, 2014

Box Score

LOGAN, Utah - A home run as part two hits by Hailey Froton and two other hits by Victoria Saucedo were not enough for Utah State softball, as Utah State softball lost to Nevada, 5-3, Saturday afternoon at a warm and sunny LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field, winning the second of the three Mountain West games.

Nevada 5, USU 3

The Aggies are now 18-31 overall, while the Wolf Pack improved to 24-24 overall with the win. USU and Nevada are now tied with identical 6-14 MW marks.

Junior outfielder Froton smacked her team-leading ninth home run of the season with a two-run shot in the bottom of the first, plating freshman designated player Saucedo, who led off the rally with a one-out single.

Froton's nine home runs move her up to a tie for No. 7 on the USU single-season home runs list, matching Jennifer Power (1994). Now with 15 career round-trippers, Froton is also seventh on the Aggies' career home runs chart.

Suacedo's two hits give her 60 for the season, tying for the No. 6 spot on the Aggies' single-season hits list with Shannon Blackburn (1989).

"We are missing some of our bigger bats out of the lineup and that plays a part in it. We battled, but we just have to do a better job in that first inning. Walks have killed us both days. Couple hits and some walks and we are giving up some free runs in there and not responded. I am kind of disappointed in our fifth inning. We had our 2-3-4 batters up and just had some bad at bats. We came back and had good fight," said USU head coach Steve Johnson.

Utah State had eight hits on the afternoon, as Saucedo and Froton were both 2-for-4, with Froton posting three RBI, while junior third baseman Nicole Arata was 2-for-3.

Freshman pitcher Abby Indreland went the distance in the circle for the Aggies, logging one strikeout, falling to 2-6 with the loss.

"I was really excited. After the first inning that was Abby's best outing of the year for a full seven innings. She had some other jams that she worked her way out of. Getting those fly balls with the bases loaded was huge. She is great like that. She is really self-aware of who she is and what she is on the mound. That is a great asset to have in a pitcher," Johnson said.

Nevada belted out nine hits, including four in the top of the first inning as they scored four runs, getting a big lead in the top of the first frame for the second day in a row.

The Aggies cut their four-run deficit in half in their first at bat, off the bat of Froton. USU had two on in the home half of the third, but couldn't plate any runs. Nevada loaded the bases without any outs in the fifth, and only got one run, as Nikki Orozco drew a walk, but that would be the only runs to score as Indreland induced a pair of popups to junior shortstop Jolene Koons, then a flyout to center, to thwart the threat.

The Wolf Pack again loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, but Indreland got out of the jam without any damage, keeping the score at 5-2.

Utah State did not go quietly into the sunny Saturday afternoon, as sophomore Kirstyn Namba led off with a pinch-hit triple down the right field line. Senior Samantha Larsen, who walked in Utah State's graduation ceremony along with fellow senior Allison Lenzora, then followed by pinch-hitting and reached on a Nevada error to put runners on the corners with no outs. After the next two batters got out, Froton followed by lacing a single to center to plate Namba and pull USU within, 5-3, but that would be the closest the home team would get as a flyout ended the rally, the inning and the game.

The Aggies and Wolf Pack wrap up the three-game series on Sunday at Noon, in USU's home finale. Sunday will be Senior Day at the Aggie diamond and USU will be honoring its six seniors: Samantha Larsen, Allison Lenzora, Annie Thomas, Rachael Tuckett, Becca Walker and Kelsie Webster, as well as Nevada's six seniors, in a pre-game ceremony.

Following this weekend, Utah State will face in-state foe Utah on Tuesday, May 6 in Salt Lake City in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.

The Aggies will then resume Mountain West action when they head to Las Vegas, Nev. on Thursday-Saturday, May 8-10, for a three-game series with UNLV to wrap up not only Mountain West, but regular-season action as well. The Aggies and Rebels will square off at 7 p.m. (MT) on both Thursday, May 8 and Friday, May 9, before wrapping up the series and the season on Saturday, May 10 at 2 p.m

Fans can follow the Aggie softball program at twitter.com/USUSoftball or on facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/USUSoftball. USU fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics, on facebook at Utah State University Athletics or on instagram at instagram.com/USUAthletics.

-USU-