LOGAN, Utah – After the first two innings indicated a pitcher's duel, Utah State softball flipped the script in the third inning, plating seven runs en route to a 10-2 win over Idaho State on Wednesday at LaRee & LeGrand Johnson Field.
 
The two sides remained scoreless through two innings as sophomore Mia Reynolds went toe-to-toe with Bengals pitcher Emma McMurray before Idaho State took the game's first lead in the top of the third inning.
 
The deficit was short-lived for USU, however, as senior Tyler Thornton and freshman Kya Pratt led off the bottom half with back-to-back home runs to give the Aggies the lead. Utah State continued to pile on the hits with three-straight singles, with senior Makenzie Macfarlane scoring freshman Grace Matej.
 
Following a walk, the bases were loaded for sophomore Ariel Fifita, who deposited a shot beyond the centerfield wall for the grand slam and commanding lead for USU. The grand slam was the first for Utah State since former Aggie Emily Tidd cleared the bases also against Idaho State last season.
 
"I needed it," Fifita said. "I'm not going to lie. My team had my back the whole time with my hitting. I felt the energy. I felt the love, so everything was all good. We really needed that win, so I'm glad we took it."
 
Freshman Tess Bumiller and Alyssa Millemon tag-teamed the next two innings as Utah State continued to build the lead. Sophomore Giselle Gonzalez drew a bases-loaded walk in the fourth inning to push USU's lead to six. After a scoreless top half of the fifth from Millemon, freshman Jaden Colunga singled with the bases loaded yet again, scoring Pratt and sophomore Claire Raley to give Utah State a 10-2 lead and enact the mercy rule.
 
"It was good," head coach Steve Johnson said. "Mid-weeks sometimes are tough because we've got finals coming up and they're coming right from class. It's not in-conference. We get so focused on conference play that sometimes it's easy to overlook these mid-week games, but we did a good job. We wanted to see some pitchers that we hadn't seen, so we got some good innings in. And, they did a great job with the bats. It was a big win for us to build some momentum. Let's go take care of Boise State."
 
The Aggies finished with 13 hits, including three home runs, and were errorless on defense. Reynolds took home the victory, combining with Bumiller and Millemon to hold the Bengals to two runs on six hits.
 
Up Next
Utah State (15-19, 6-7 MW) resumes Mountain Play with a three-game series at league-leading Boise State this weekend. Game one is scheduled for Friday, April 21, at 4 p.m.
 
For more information on the Utah State softball program, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUSoftball, on Facebook at USUSoftball and on Instagram at ususoftball.
 
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