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LOGAN, Utah -

Utah State 9, UNLV 8

After falling behind late in the game, Utah State softball found a second wind, coming back to open the weekend series against UNLV in 9-8 walk-off win Thursday.

The Aggies were down 8-6 as they entered the bottom of the seventh inning, but were also approaching the top of the batting order. From the very beginning of the at bat, the USU offense succeeded, leading to the win. Freshman catcher Brina Buttacavoli and junior outfielder Sarah Chow both singled as the first batters. Senior shortstop Jolene Koons followed with a triple through the right side that brought both runners home to tie the score. With a runner on third, senior outfielder Hailey Froton singled up the middle, to advance Koons across the plate for the walk-off win.

"You've got to give UNLV credit. They kept fighting, even when they were down 6-0. They could have packed it in, but they didn't. We did a good job of not panicking when they came back. Right now (Sarah) Chow is tearing it up and Brina did a good job," said USU head coach Steve Johnson. "We had a good approach there in the fifth and seventh innings. It's a good win for us, just to finally be able to win a game like this."

With the win, Utah State improves to 12-22 overall with a 4-3 Mountain West record. UNLV falls to 15-20 overall and 1-6 in league action.

Several Aggies had multiple hits in Thursday's game, led by Chow who batted 4-for-5 on the day. Junior Noelle Johnson pitched the entirety of the afternoon, improving to 10-9 overall this season. She allowed 11 hits in the eight-run game, while walking five batters and striking out six. As a team, USU had 17 hits in the game, the most of any game this season.

The game started strongly in Utah State's favor Thursday, where the Aggie defense held UNLV scoreless until the sixth inning, allowing just three hits early on. In that time, USU managed to score six runs, looking to end the game early.

USU's first score came in the bottom of the second inning, when sophomore second baseman Victoria Saucedo struck first. After a single up the middle, Saucedo advanced to second on a fielder's choice that put sophomore designated player Alleyah Armendariz out at third. A single from senior third baseman Nicole Arata moved her to third, while she was able to cross the plate on a single from Buttacavoli.

The Aggies added a second run in the bottom of the fourth, when Buttacavoli was able to capitalize on a UNLV error in her at bat. After reaching base on a dropped fly ball, she rounded the bases on a Chow single, running home on a sac fly from Koons. After Armendariz walked, the Aggies continued through the fifth inning on a high note with back-to-back home runs from Johnson and Arata, adding three quick runs to the scoreboard. A double from Koons extended the lead for the Aggies as Chow crossed the plate.

Unfortunately for USU, the Rebels found their footing in the top of the sixth, not only catching the Aggies, but passing them for the first UNLV lead of the afternoon. UNLV went through its entire batting order, circling the way back to the top of the lineup. A trio of multiple-RBI homers was the major benefit for the Rebels as all sevens came from those hits.

USU didn't get as far as it hoped in the bottom of the sixth, as two runners were left on base at the end of the inning. Sophomore first baseman Paxton Provost was the first out, but was followed by an Armendariz walk. Saucedo then fouled out to the UNLV shortstop, while Johnson took a base after being hit by a pitch. With pinch runners in for both Armendariz and Johnson, Arata grounded out to end the inning.

UNLV added one final run in the top of seventh, expanding on the lead for the Aggies to catch. The bottom of the inning timed perfectly with the top of the batting order, giving the USU offense the advantage. After Koons' triple knotted the score at eight, Froton lived up to her title as all-time RBI leader at Utah State, scoring Koons to end the game.

"That was the perfect set-up for Hailey. We knew we didn't need a hit to win the game, there were a ton of different ways we could have done it," Johnson said. "This is the third Friday in a row that we've started a series with a win. We have to build on this and stay consistent as we take this into game two tomorrow."

The Aggies and Rebels continue their three-game series Friday, April 3 in a 3 p.m. matchup. Action will conclude on Saturday, April 4 at 12 p.m.

Fans can follow the Aggie softball program on Twitter, @USUSoftball, on Facebook at facebook.com/USUSoftball or on Instagram, @ususoftball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at facebook.com/USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.