The Southern Utah University softball team won their first conference series of the season on March 15 and 16. The Thunderbirds were 2-1 this weekend against Stephen F. Austin State University.
Game 1
SUU pitcher Delaney Baker opened and closed the top of the first inning quickly, only seeing four batters. She threw until the seventh inning when Shelby Basso came in to relieve her for the last three outs of the game. Baker held the Lumberjacks to two runs.
The Thunderbirds scored two runs in the first inning on a two-out rally. Emily Gonzalez, batting third in the lineup, doubled to right field, putting herself in scoring position. Ariyana Miranda stepped up and hit a two-run shot that scored Gonzalez. The score at the end of the first inning was 2-0.
The game remained scoreless until the fifth inning when the Lumberjacks answered the call and strung some hits together to score a run.
Alex Dubose was the first baserunner after being walked by Baker. A grounder advanced her to second. Amiah Galcatcher’s single scored Dubose after she came in the game to pinch hit for Chloe Reneau. The score came to 2-1.
In the sixth inning, the Lumberjacks got another run on the board after Lexi Benson hit a triple and scored on a double by Emily Land.
The Thunderbirds battled back when Laurie Cooke hit a single and stole second base. An error committed by Lumberjack third baseman Kelby Robbins allowed Cooke to advance to third base and Karmyna Becerra to get on base.
Gonzalez scored the final run of the game in the sixth inning when she hit a grounder, allowing Cooke to head home and secure the win for the Thunderbirds with a score of 3-2.
Game 2
Emily Delgado, who the Lumberjacks had seen that day in the first game, was untouchable on the mound for the Thunderbirds and struck out nine batters while giving up just two hits during the game. Not a single run was able to score.
The Lumberjacks had Brooke Gainous in the circle for the whole game. She only allowed six hits and held the Thunderbirds to no runs until the seventh inning.
The entire game remained scoreless until Ariana Ramirez hit a walk-off solo home run and won the game for the Thunderbirds 1-0.
Game 3
SUU used three of their pitchers in the final game of the series, starting with Delgado. She threw six innings for the Thunderbirds and had six runs scored off her.
SFA scored the first run of the game in the second inning after Galcatcher hit a single and rounded the bases, scoring on a single by Alexis Telford.
In the third inning, Becerra answered back and hit a two-run home run that scored Cooke, who hit a single earlier in the inning. The score at the end of the third inning was 2-1.
The Lumberjacks strung some hits together in the fifth inning. Reneau, Brittany Coe, Galcatcher and Telford all had hits on the board, with Reneau and Coe scoring. The Lumberjacks led the Thunderbirds 3-2.
Another run made it on the board in the sixth when Reneau got on base because of an error committed by Becerra, third baseman for the Thunderbirds. Reneau stole second base, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Benson scored Reneau with a single to make the score 4-2 going into the final inning.
Land hit a double in the last frame, putting herself in scoring position. The next batter was Ellie Vance, a left-handed slapper. In a defensive shift, the Thunderbirds moved the right fielder to behind second base, leaving right field completely open. Vance hit a ball to left field, and it went to the fence, scoring Land and making it an inside-the-park home run.
Telford secured the insurance run after a solo home run, and the Thunderbirds lost the final game of the weekend 7-2.
Author: Maggie Whipple
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
