Box Score

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -

UC Riverside 4, Utah State 1

Santa Clara 7, Utah State 2

Utah State softball opened the two-day Highlander Classic at UC Riverside Saturday, falling to the host Highlanders, 4-1, and Santa Clara, 7-2.

Junior April Brown pitched the full game against UC Riverside, allowing seven hits while striking out five batters and walking an additional three. Against the Broncos, senior Noelle Johnson started in the circle, throwing five strikeouts and allowing eight hits in her six innings. With those five strikeouts, Johnson moves to second on the USU career strikeout record with 486. Sophomore Jordyn McCracken pitched the final inning against Santa Clara, making her second appearance of the season for the Aggies.

"Right now we have to look at ourselves and admit that we're not playing like a good team and we're not playing up to our own expectations. We have to have a consistent approach to each game, where we come out with passion and heart and play like we've been coached and practiced. We've done it in a few games, but not consistently," said Utah State head coach Steve Johnson. "Today I challenged our seniors to lead this team because they've done so much to develop a positive culture this year. This is their last shot and we still have so much to play for, but we need to start playing with a new urgency tomorrow."

With the losses, Utah State falls to 5-8 on the year. Santa Clara and UC Riverside played each other in between USU's games, with the Highlanders taking the win. Heading into Sunday's games, UCR sits at 14-6, while Santa Clara has a 5-11 record.

The Aggies started the day against UC Riverside, as the Highlanders got on the board early in the first inning. Leading off with a single, Madeline Richard advanced on a sac bunt and was then able to score on a second hit up the middle. UCR then added two more runs in the bottom of the third. With a runner on, who then advanced on a wild pitch, Richard singled again and advanced on a sac hit. A single up the middle then allowed both runners to cross the plate.

Utah State got a pair of runners on base in the first inning, as senior outfielder Sarah Chow was walked and sophomore designated player Brina Buttacavoli reached on an error. After three consecutive 1-2-3 innings, USU picked up its sole run of the game in the top of the fifth, when senior catcher Kirstyn Namba hit her first-career home run. Junior outfielder Amanda Sheets and junior third baseman Victoria Sacuedo each added one to the team's hit total in the game, but the Highlanders added another run to take the game.

Against the Broncos, the opponent was again the first to score. From the leadoff spot, Ellie Fisher singled to third base, stealing second. Justine Garner followed with a single, but advanced on a USU error, which also pushed Fisher across the plate.

The Aggies were retired in order in the first, but were able to answer the Santa Clara score and take the lead in the bottom of the second inning. Freshman catcher Bailey Lewis walked, while sophomore outfielder Jazmin Clarke entered to run for her. A double from junior shortstop Sarina Jaramillo pushed Clarke to third, then scoring on a sacrificial fly from Buttacavoli. Senior first baseman Libby Pederson was also out on her at-bat, but gave Jaramillo the team's second run.

Santa Clara went on to score in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, while USU was unable to capitalize. A Bronco home run in the top of the fourth evened the score at two, while SCU added back-to-back RBI hits in the top of the fifth to take the lead back. One last home run in the top of the sixth brought in three runs, bringing the Broncos' run total to seven.

Action from Riverside continues tomorrow, as the Aggies will have a rematch with both of today's opponents. USU will first see Santa Clara at 10 a.m. (MT), before concluding the tournament against UC Riverside at 12:30 p.m.

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