Box Score

ST. GEORGE, Utah -

Utah State 8, Binghamton 6 (8) | Iowa State 2, Utah State 1 (8)

Utah State softball continued action at the St. George Red Desert Classic Saturday, splitting a pair of extra-inning games. The Aggies opened the day in an 8-6 win over Binghamton before falling to Iowa State, 2-1. Both games required eight innings to determine a winner.

"Overall, today was disappointing. We played 16 innings, but only really competed for the last two of the Binghamton game," said USU head coach Steve Johnson. "If we want to win a championship, we have to be better consistently, game-to-game."

Junior outfielder Jazmin Clarke led the Aggies against Binghamton as she went 4-for-5 at the plate, while scoring four of the team's runs. Those four hits tie a school record for hits in a single game, most recently done in the 2015 season. Just behind Clarke, senior third baseman Victoria Saucedo hit 3-for-4 while adding four RBIs. Sophomore pitcher Katie Schroeder made the start for Utah State, pitching the first four innings before being relieved by freshman Kellie White. Schroeder threw five strikeouts, matching her career-high, while White earned the win, improving to 4-1 on the season.

"In game one, we had a great start, but then didn't put the hammer down. Once we got down late in the game, we started stringing things together, but we need to be able to do that earlier in the game," Johnson said. "Paxton was clutch in the seventh inning, coming off the bench with a big home run and the rally in the eighth was perfectly executed."

In the later game of the day, four different Utah State players had one hit each, while senior designated player Sydney Hart scored the sole run of the game. Senior April Brown pitched the complete game, striking out six batters and walking four.

"In game two, April threw a great game. She battled all day with a strike zone that was challenging, but persevered to keep getting outs," Johnson said. "We didn't take advantage of the zone and chased a lot of pitches and didn't make great contact."

With the split, Utah State sits at 11-4 on the season.

This was the first time Utah State played two extra-inning games on the same day since 2013. That season, the Aggies played back-to-back eight-inning games at UT Arlington. USU lost both of those games, 1-0.

Utah State struck early in the day's opener against Binghamton, scoring two runs in the top of the first. Clarke opened the game with a single to third, later stealing second base. Senior outfielder Amanda Sheets followed with a single to shortstop, also adding a stolen base. Clarke then scored on a groundout, while a sac fly from Hart put Sheets across the plate.

Binghamton evened things up in the bottom of the third inning. The Bearcats opened the inning with a single, while a second runner got on base on a USU error. A triple then scored both runners. With a sac fly on the next trip to the plate, a third runner crossed the plate to give Binghamton its first lead of the day.

The fifth inning proved to be a busy one. Utah State tied the score once again when Saucedo singled down the left side to score Clarke, who had led-off the inning with a double. In the bottom half of the inning, Binghamton added another three runs to re-take the lead. After a two-run double, the Aggies made a pitching change, but a sac fly gave the Bearcats the third run of the inning.

The Aggie offense found a spark in the top of the seventh. The comeback started with a bunt single from Clarke, who stole her second base of the game. Sheets grounded out, but Clarke was able to advance to third. The Saucedo-Clarke combination hit again as Saucedo singled to right center to score Clarke. In as a pinch hitter, senior Paxton Provost then hit her first home run of the season, bringing Saucedo home and tying the score at six. After a pitching change, the Aggies drew a pair of walks, but both were left on base going to the bottom half of the inning.

When Binghamton couldn't score in the bottom of the seventh, the teams headed to extra time. Everything came together for the Aggies in the top of the eighth, as the team added two runs. Senior second baseman Kylie-Rose Dickson led-off with a single, adding a stolen base. Clarke followed with another bunt single and advanced to second. With back-to-back sac flies, Dickson and Clarke both scored, moving the Aggies back ahead. The Bearcats got one last single in the bottom of the inning, but Jaramillo made the final out to end the game.

Utah State tallied 14 hits in the win, matching its season-high. Binghamton had eight hits, while both teams committed one error.

Returning to the field for the Iowa State game, the Aggies were again first on the board. Each team had one hit in the first inning, but it was the second inning when USU scored. Hart hit her fourth home run of the year with a blast to left field. Iowa State evened the score in the bottom of the fourth in the same fashion, with a home run to left on the first pitch of the inning.

Iowa State threatened in the bottom of the seventh, as it got two runners on-base. The Cyclones had a single to go with a USU error, while both runners advanced on a wild pitch. With a pop-up and a strikeout, the Aggie defense escaped and forced extra innings for the second time of the day. Utah State had one hit to open the eighth inning, but the attempt came to an end on a pair of strikeouts. In the bottom of the inning, Iowa State earned the win from the work of two batters. After leading off with a double, the runner advanced to third on a wild pitch and was then able to score on the next batter's single.

In all, Utah State had four hits to Iowa State's seven in the game, while the Aggies also had one error.

"While we're happy with the win and our overall record, we can't be pleased with inconsistency if we want to win," Johnson said. "We've got a great opportunity to bounce back tomorrow and have to come out swinging."

The Red Desert Classic will conclude on Sunday, March 5, in a 10 a.m. match-up against Montana.

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.