BASEBALL: FAYETTEVILLE — The Utah baseball team closed out its series with Arkansas on Sunday with a 10-1 loss.
After each team scored a run in the second inning, Arkansas took a 4-1 lead with a three-run fifth inning, piecing together three hits and taking advantage of a pair of walks.
Arkansas continued to pull away in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring six runs on five hits to put the score at 10-1.
Utah scattered five hits throughout the game and left six runners on base throughout the game.
Joe Pond earned the start on the mound, going five innings. He gave up four hits and four runs and struck out five, walking six. He falls to 0-2 on the year.
"We didn't play really any phase of the game well today," head coach Bill Kinneberg said. "We didn't pitch very well, we got behind hitters and walked a lot of guys. We didn't make defensive plays when we needed to and we didn't swing the bat as well as we have been. It was kind of a disappointing day for us.
"We're five games into it and we have a long way to go. We're still feeling each other out. We just didn't put it together today like we have been. It's one of those days when you are playing a good team and if you are not sharp, it can get away from you."
Utah travels to Houston next weekend for the prestigious Houston College Classic. The Utes will face Texas A&M, Baylor and Kentucky over three games.
Utah Softball Splits Against Nevada and UC Santa Barbara
Utes run-rule Nevada in five innings, 10-0.
SOFTBALL: PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — The University of Utah softball team downed Nevada, 10-0, in five innings but lost to UC Santa Barbara, 4-2, Sunday in the Cathedral City Classic at the Big League Dreams Park.
Utah is now 6-11 this season after going 1-5 this weekend.
Utah def. Nevada, 10-0 (5 innings)
The Utes scored early and often as Kelsi Hoopiiaina went 2-for-3 at the plate in the day's opener against Nevada, a 10-0 Utah victory in five innings. Cheyella Myers connected on her first career grand slam and Chalese Fankhauser's first career round-tripper gave the Utes three more runs.
Generra Nielson picked up the victory after allowing only two hits in 3.0 innings with six strikeouts and no walks. Nielson improved her record to 5-8 on the mound this season. Brittany Parker nailed down the win by throwing the final 2.0 innings. Parker did not allow a hit or a walk while striking out four Wolf Pack hitters.
After two walks and an illegal pitch, a Whitney Holm ground ball allowed leadoff hitter Jackie Sweet to score the first run of the game in the second inning. A second Wolf Pack illegal pitch then scored Fankhauser.
The Utah offense exploded for eight runs in its next at-bat as Fankhauser hit a one-out, three-run to score Myers and Sweet. Hoopiiaina got aboard with a single to right then reached third base after a pair of fielder's choices by Nevada. Tara Glover drew a walk to push Hoopiiaina across the plate for the Ute's fourth run in the inning. And with two out in the same frame, Myers drilled a grand slam over the outfield wall to complete the scoring and set the margin at 10-0.
UC Santa Barbara def. Utah, 4-2
In the second game of the day, Utah could not prevent its fifth loss in the last six games in a 4-2 loss to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.
Utah heads to Tallahassee, Fla., for the Louisville Slugger Seminole Classic next weekend. The Utes begin the event March 5 against Wisconsin at 11 a.m. ET then take on the host Seminoles at 3 p.m. ET.
TENNIS: Montgomery, Ala. — The 51st-ranked University of Utah women's tennis team (5-7) downed 64th-ranked Auburn (2-7) on the final day of the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic Sunday. The 4-1 victory over the Tigers snapped the Utes' four match slide. Sophomore Paige Miles earned the match-clinching point with her 6-2, 6-4, win over Plamena Kurteva at the No. 5 singles spot.
"Today was a good bounce-back win over a ranked SEC team virtually on their home courts," said head coach Mat Iandolo.
In doubles play, senior Evgenia Kryuchkova and redshirt sophomore Lexi Provancha topped Kurteva and Paulina Schippers 8-4, at the No. 2 position. The duo of Miles and junior Anastasia Putilina defeated Olivia Bennett and Jacqueline Kasler at the No. 1 spot 8-4, to secure the doubles point for Utah.
The match between Utah's freshmen Sarah Pham and Lucia Kovarcikova and Auburn's Caroline Thornton and Taylor Schreimann at the No. 3 position was halted.
In singles play, 114th-ranked Putilina downed Schippers 6-3, 6-1, at the No.. 1 spot, putting the Utes up 2-0 over the Tigers.
Pham fell to Bennett at the No. 3 position 6-1, 6-2, making the score 2-1.
Kryuchkova, ranked No. 59, topped Thornton at the No. 2 spot, 6-4, 6-3, giving Utah a 3-1 lead over Auburn.
Miles then clinched the match at 4-1, from the No. 5 position.
Kovarcikova was in her third set against Kasler at the No. 4 spot and Provancha was in her second against Taylor Cohen at the No. 6 position when the match was halted.
The Utes return to action March 21 against top-ranked Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif.