The Utah Valley University softball team dropped its first two games of the Red Desert Classic on Friday afternoon at the Canyons Softball Complex in St. George. The Wolverines fell 9-7 in the opener to UC Santa Barbara before dropping a 6-2 decision to in-state foe Utah State in their second game of the day.
UVU (0-6) showed resiliency versus UCSB (5-10) despite coming up on the short side of four lead changes. A five-run Aggie (9-3) second inning was the difference in game two against Utah State.
"The game against Santa Barbara was a tough one to lose," said UVU Head Coach TJ Hubbard. "But I am so proud of how the girls fought back and never quit after giving up the lead."
Game one vs. UCSB
UVU sent 14 batters to the plate in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead. Senior infielder Brittney Vansway optimized the Wolverines' fight with an incredible 17-pitch at-bat in the frame. She fouled off 13 pitches before earning a bases-loaded walk to force home UVU's fourth run of the inning.
The Gauchos chipped into UVU's lead with a single run in the fourth inning when Whitney Pemberton hit the first of her three doubles in the game to drive home Sierra Altmeyer for UCSB's first run of the game.
The Gauchos swung early and often in the count to notch four runs of their own in the fifth inning and take a 5-4 lead over the Wolverines. But, an inning later, UVU showed the no quit attitude Hubbard spoke of stringing together five-straight hits to plate three runs and retake the lead 7-5. Kawehi Kahana started the rally with a two-out pinch-hit single to left field. Caragh Morris and Vansway followed with back-to-back doubles to the wall to put UVU up a run. Taleigh Williams and Lyndsay Steverson both singled to left field to make it 7-5 after six.
The UVU lead wouldn't be enough, however, as Santa Barbara's Jessica Johnston opened the Gauchos final at-bat with a double to left-center field. A pop out and base on balls later, Pemberton doubled for the third time to draw UCSB within one. UVU miscues then resulted in the Gauchos tying it up at 7-7 with one out. Utah Valley starting pitcher Bailee Moore then struck out Gaucho shortstop Kayla Krantz with the bases loaded, and it looked like the Wolverines would head to their half of the seventh tied at seven. But, successive grounders each drove in single runs to put Santa Barbara up the final 9-7 count as UVU was unable to answer in its final at-bat.
Both squads pounded out 14 hits in the contest. Eleven of the game's 28 hits went for extra bases. Steverson led a potent UVU lineup with three hits.
With four infield assists in the contest, the senior Vansway — who was named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award earlier this week — became Utah Valley's all-time leader in the career assists in the ballgame. The slick-fielding Vansway now leads the UVU record book in the category with 346 assists, besting former Utah Valley great Jessica Anderson's (2008-10) previous mark of 340.
Game two vs. Utah State
UVU once again scored first, taking a 1-0 lead in the second, when Wolverine shortstop Kirsten Andersen caught the Aggie defense off guard with a beautiful two-out bunt single that plated Eryn Sustayta from third.
The Wolverines were then done in by an Aggie four-run second inning. Utah State left fielder Riley Plogger started the outburst with a sharp double to the wall. The next four Aggies reached, including back-to-back triples by Brina Buttacavoli and Bailee Trapp, to chase UVU pitcher Bailey Moore.
Following an out, two more USU singles made it 4-1. Victoria Saucedo's solo shot in the fourth made it 5-1 Aggies.
UVU managed a run in the fifth when Williams made one of her five hits on the day with a single to right that drove home Andersen who had walked to open the frame. Utah State then capped its scoring with an insurance run in the sixth to make it 6-2.
UVU finished with 10 hits in the game but finished 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Up next for UVU
The Wolverines continue play in the Red Desert Classic on Saturday. UVU faces UNLV (11-5) at 11:00 a.m. MT, and Montana (5-11) at 4:00 p.m. Utah Valley concludes the tournament with a single game on Sunday versus Iowa State at 12:30 p.m.
James Warnick is an assistant sports information director at Utah Valley University. For more information about Wolverine athletics, visit WolverineGreen.com.