FULLERTON, Calif. – Utah State softball (14-9, 0-0 MW) won a pair of games at the Louisville Slugger Invitational Saturday afternoon, defeating Yale and then Toledo in a doubleheader. The Aggies took a 9-1 victory over the Bulldogs, then a 3-2 win over the Rockets in an eight-inning game.
In the first game of the day, the Aggies earned their first run when freshman outfielder Tatum Silva stole third, and then scored on the throw. After a scoreless fifth inning, the Aggies added on a run in the sixth from a sophomore infielder Alex Bunton RBI single to send Silva home and two more runs from junior outfielder Brooklyn Pritchett and sophomore catcher Grace Matej on a fielding error. In the final inning of the game, senior outfielder Ali Ashner came out with a bomb to left field for a 5-0 lead, and then Matej hit an RBI single and Bunton hit a three-run home run to secure the game.
Sophomore Hailey McLean notched her first win of the season as she pitched a complete game with a season-high nine strikeouts, the most by an Aggie pitcher this year.
The second game of the afternoon began as a defensive battle, neither side getting on the board in seven innings of regulation, putting the contest into extra innings. Senior Jessica Stewart started on the mound for the Aggies, keeping Toledo off the board for her tenure in the circle. Redshirt sophomore Denay Smith stepped in to finish the game, pitching for the final two innings.
Utah State recorded two hits, a single to right field in the first from Silva and then a Matej single in the seventh, before extra innings occurred. In the eighth inning, Toledo's runner on second scored from an RBI single, and then its second runner stole home. The Aggies evened things up in the bottom of the inning as junior infielder Ariel Fifita hit a two-RBI double sending junior Claudia Medina and sophomore outfielder Kya Pratt home. The final run of the game was thanks to a Matej walkoff double to left field.
Up Next
Utah State (14-9, 0-0 MW) now closes out its stay in Southern California with the conclusion of the Louisville Slugger Invitational tomorrow afternoon when the Aggies play tournament-host Long Beach State at 1 p.m. (MT).
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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