ST. GEORGE, Utah – Utah State softball (10-7, 0-0 MW) split a pair of games against in-state foes on the opening day of the Beehive Classic Friday afternoon at Karl Brooks Field, defeating Southern Utah 2-1 before falling in a five-inning game to Utah Valley 10-1.
Utah State 2, Southern Utah 1
In a low-scoring affair between Utah State and Southern Utah, a pair of solo home runs made the difference for the Aggies to open the weekend with a 2-1 victory.
Following three scoreless innings in which the sides combined for just a single hit, the Thunderbirds went on top with their first and only run of the day in the fourth. A single then an advance to second followed by another base hit put SUU on the board.
The Aggies recorded their first hit of the day in the bottom of the fourth, then broke through to even things in the fifth when a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the inning by freshman infielder Jazmin Ramirez made it a 1-1 ballgame. This was the second home run of Ramirez's young career.
In the sixth, senior outfielder Kya Pratt got in on the scoring with a home run of her own. This time, it was a full-count blast over the center field fence with two outs to make it 2-1. This was Pratt's second dinger of the season, and the 19th of her career.
Senior right-hander Rylie Pindel was strong in the circle for the Aggies as she picked up her fourth win of the season, throwing all seven innings with just four hits and a single earned run allowed. Pindel walked just a single batter while facing 25.
Utah State 1, Utah Valley 10 (5 innings)
In the afternoon contest, the Aggies struggled to keep pace in a five-inning run-rule game against Utah Valley, falling 10-1. A three-run first inning and a six-run fourth for the Wolverines made the difference, as they turned 10 hits into 10 runs.
The Aggie offense was promising early, generating a pair of hits in the first inning, but both runners were left stranded. That was followed by a three-run inning by UVU. After a hitless second inning for both sides, the Wolverines made it a 4-0 game in the third with a double followed by a base hit.
Utah State's lone run of the day came in the top of the fourth, when a double to right center by Pratt was followed by another from freshman infielder Kate Vance to put the Aggies on the board. They left a runner on in both the fourth and fifth innings, while the Wolverines poured on six runs with five hits in the fourth, aided by a pair of USU errors.
In total, Utah State generated five hits to UVU's 10, led by a 2-for-2 performance by Pratt.
Four different pitchers spent time in the circle for USU. Senior Emmalyn Brinka started and was awarded the loss after 1.0 innings pitched. Freshman Kendall Cochran took the next 2.0 innings, before seniors Carly Limosnero and Sydney Saldaña combined for the final three outs.
UP NEXT
Utah State (10-7, 0-0 MW) will remain in St. George tomorrow for day two of the Beehive Classic. The Aggies will face Utah first at 12:30 p.m., before an afternoon rematch against Utah Valley at 3 p.m. Both games will be streamed for free on WAC International.
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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