LOGAN, Utah – Utah State softball (24-17, 9-3 MW) evened a three-game conference series against Fresno State at 1-1 with a win Saturday afternoon at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field, defeating the Bulldogs 9-5. 
 
The Aggies faced an early deficit in this one after giving up a pair of runs in the top of the first, but responded strongly with four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Following a single by sophomore outfielder Tatum Silva, senior infielder Giselle Gonzalez delivered a shot over the left field fence to even things up at 2-2. Just four pitches later, junior catcher Grace Matej followed with a home run of her own to take the lead, followed eventually by an RBI single for senior infielder Claudia Medina to bring junior outfielder Kya Pratt around from second. 
 
The USU lead was short-lived, as three more Bulldog runs scored in the second inning, two of them unearned on an error during a chase down between home and third base. The lead changed once again in the third, however, as a single by Pratt evened the score at five-apiece before a sacrifice bunt for Medina scored junior pinch runner Kenzee Hale to make it a 6-5 Utah State lead. 
 
The Aggies extended their advantage in the fourth when Fifita took advantage of a wild pitch to score from third base. After a scoreless fifth for both sides, USU tacked on two more in the sixth on the second home run of the day for Gonzalez, who hit the 14th home run of her season and the 27th of her career. 
 
With four RBIs today, Gonzalez now holds the program record for RBIs in a season with 52, surpassing Gabrielle Jimenez's 49 in 2022. Fifita also made history with a pair of runs scored today, as she now ranks number one in program history for both runs in a season (47) and runs in a career (117). 
 
Junior right-hander Denay Smith, who entered the circle after one inning by junior Rylie Pindel, had an outstanding showing to earn the win in the circle as she pitched 6.0 innings without a single earned run and just three hits allowed while facing 27 batters, including five-straight scoreless innings. 
 
At the plate, the Aggies went a combined 12-for-26 (.462) on the day, led by a 3-for-3 performance from Pratt, who recorded a double, an RBI and a run scored. Gonzalez and Matej each recorded multiple hits as well, Gonzalez going 2-for-4 with two home runs, four RBIs and two runs scored, Matej going 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI and a run scored. 
 
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Utah State (24-17, 9-3 MW) will now wrap up its three-game series against Fresno State tomorrow at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field, as the Aggies host the Bulldogs at noon.
 
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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