9
Winner
Utah State
US
14-10
Score By Periods
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
Utah Valley
UVU
|
3 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
16 |
2 |
|
Utah State
US
|
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
9 |
15 |
1 |
W: Pindel, Rylie (7-0)
L: Riley, Lily (0-1)
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State softball junior infielder
Alex Bunton hit the walk-off singles to score senior infielder
Ariel Fifita as the Aggies completed a four-run comeback over the final two innings to defeat Utah Valley, 9-8, on Wednesday evening at LaRee & LeGrand Johnson Field.
The visiting Wolverines took the lead in the first inning, jumping ahead with a two-run home run and an RBI single. Utah State responded immediately in the bottom half, as senior infielder
Giselle Gonzalez, senior outfielder
Olivia Marble and junior catcher/infielder
Kaylee Erickson each tallied RBI singles to quickly the tie the game back up at 3-3.
The Aggies took their first lead of the game in the third inning when freshman outfielder
Faith Kroening smacked a double to right field to bring home Marble and put USU in front, 4-3. In their next opportunity at the plate in the top of the fourth inning, however, UVU strung together five hits, including four with two outs, to score five runs and jump back in front by four runs.
Utah State stranded three runners in the fourth and fifth innings before the comeback took hold in the bottom of the sixth. Following a lead-off single from senior outfielder
Brooklyn Pritchett, senior
Claudia Medina doubled to left center to bring home Pritchett and kick off USU's comeback. Gonzalez singled in the next at-bat to score Fifita before junior catcher/infielder
Grace Matej continued the string of hits with another single to plate Medina. Later in the inning, junior infielder
Kenzee Hale scored on a groundout to tie the game at 8 heading to the seventh inning.
After Utah Valley had scored eight runs in the first four innings, junior
Rylie Pindel entered and held the Wolverines scoreless over the final 3.1 innings of the game and allowing Utah State the opportunity to walk it off in the bottom of the seventh. After a single from Pritchett plus a pair of walks drawn by Medina and Matej, Bunton arrived to the plate and smacked a single down the right field line just over the first baseman, bringing home Fifita for the winning run in walk-off fashion.
The win was USU's second walk-off victory of the season after Matej knocked a walk-off single to score Hale in Utah State's 4-3 extra-innings win against Purdue on opening weekend.
The Aggies recorded 15 hits in the game on a .429 batting average (15-for-25) and received hits from 11 different players, including multi-hit outings from Medina (two), Gonzalez (two), Bunton (two), Marble (two) and Pritchett (three). Pritchett went 3-for-3 from the play to lead USU while both Marble and Gonzalez recorded two RBIs to lead the Aggies. Pindel earned the victory after allowing only five hits during her 3.1 innings pitched, improving now to 7-0 on the season.
Up Next
Utah State (14-10, 0-0 MW) opens Mountain West play this weekend with a three-game series at LaRee & LeGrand Johnson Field against San Diego State from March 14-16.
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.
- USU -
