SB: Utes pick up two wins at Mary Nutter Classic
It was quite a day for Utah softball as it began the Mary Nutter Classic down in Palm Springs, Calif on Friday.
The Utes were able to showcase their over all skills as a dominant pitching performance got them one win before an offensive explosion helped them earn the sweep for the day.
On the first day of the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., Utah took down Long Beach State 4-0 in the opener before rallying for a 12-6 victory over UC Riverside.
Game 1: UTAH 4 — Long Beach State 0
The opener belonged to Sydney Sandez.
Sandez threw 6.0 innings, giving up just two hits in a dominating performance — improving her record to 6-2 on the year. She had complete command all game long in the pitcher's circle, consistently hitting her spots and inducing groundballs and flyballs at a high rate.
Halle Morris came on in relief in the seventh, giving up one hit but picking up the save in the end.
Offensively, the Utes did all of their damage in the fourth inning, scoring all four runs.
Madi Jacobus and Alyssa Barerra got the rally started with one-out singles, before a Long Beach State error loaded the bases with Ellessa Bonstrom reaching.
BreOnna Castaneda got the scoring started when she was hit by a pitch, bringing home Jacobus. Destiny Quiles then doubled to bring home Barerra and Bonstrom — before a perfect bunt by Katie Faulk allowed Castaneda to cross home plate.
Final Stats
Game 2: UTAH 12 — UC Riverside 6
If the opener was all about pitching, then the nightcap was all about the offense — even if it wasn't the prettiest of starts.
Utah found itself down 5-0 after two innings before the offense woke up. The Utes went on to score 12 runs over the next four innings, including a six-run fifth inning to earn the win.
Castaneda got the Utes on the board in the third with a two-run single. The fourth inning saw Julia Noskin and Barrera add run-scoring hits to tie the game at five.
UC Riverside took back the lead in the top of the fifth with a solo homerun, but that lead was short-lived. Barrera's three-run homerun proved to be the big shot Utah was waiting for, making the score 10-6 — she added her fifth RBI of the game with a run-scoring hit in the sixth to complete the scoring.
Sandez got the win in the pitcher's circle, throwing 3.2 innings and giving up one run on four hits, to improve to 7-2 on the year.
Final Stats
Utah returns to action on Saturday when it faces Cal State Fullerton at 6 p.m. MST and Team USA following the conclusion of that game.