The Southern Utah University softball team made the trip to take on the University of Texas at Arlington on Friday, March 29, and Saturday, March 30. The Thunderbirds were looking to snap a four-game losing skid, but the Mavericks had other plans and swept SUU in the three-game series.
Game 1
Game one was dominated by defense early on with both teams struggling to put up runs. In the top of the second, freshman Arianna Ramirez got into scoring position, but the Thunderbirds were unable to capitalize, and the inning ended with Ramirez still on base.
The bottom of the third was the deciding factor in the opening game. Freshman Kaitlyn Sailor hit a single into left field with the bases loaded to score junior Paris Brienesse and freshman Emma Lopez, making it 2-0 in favor of the Mavericks.
Southern Utah had chances to tie the game back up. A double from sophomore Emily Gonzalez at the top of the sixth gave the Thunderbirds an opportunity to make it a one-run game, but they couldn’t convert on the opportunity and gave UTA the 2-0 win.
Game 2
The Mavericks took their momentum from the first game and ran with it in game two. Another error by Southern Utah in the bottom of the third led to an unearned run being scored for UTA by fifth-year player Lindsey Franklin, which gave the Mavericks an early lead.
This was only the start of a hot streak for UTA, as in the bottom of the fourth, the Mavericks scored five runs, headlined by a solo shot from Sailor. The Mavericks scored once more in the bottom of the fifth off a home run from freshman Jade Moreno, giving UTA a 7-0 lead that they held until the end of the game.
Game 3
The final game of the series was an up and down affair for the Thunderbirds, who through the first five innings gave up four unearned runs and were held scoreless on offense.
However, in the top of the sixth, junior Karmyna Becerra delivered a single that brought home junior Laurie Cooke. The scoring barrage continued for Southern Utah, as a single from Ramirez led to fellow freshman Taralyn Ollison reaching home. The scoring run ended with Becerra making the complete trip around the bases, scoring on a wild pitch by the Mavericks to make it 4-3 in favor of UTA with one inning left to go.
Errors again haunted the Thunderbirds in the bottom of the sixth, with a single from Sailor leading to both Lopez and freshman Cameron Cooper making it home. The Mavericks held the Thunderbirds scoreless in the top of the seventh and came away with the 6-3 win.
With the losses, Southern Utah moves to 12-17 overall and 2-7 in Western Athletic Conference play. UT Arlington now sits at 14-20 overall and 5-3 within the conference.
Up next
The Thunderbirds return home to the Kathryn Berg Field for a conference showdown against the Abilene Christian University Wildcats. The three-game series can be streamed on ESPN+ or KSUU Thunder 91.1.
Author: Aidan Mortensen
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
