Utah Valley University softball rode the right arm of Lauren Frailey to its first win of the young season. Frailey tossed a complete-game shutout en route to leading UVU to a 1-0 victory over Big 12 foe Iowa State.
"It was more than just me," said Frailey. "I've never been a strikeout pitcher, and the team played great behind me. I couldn't have done it without them. This was definitely a team win."
Frailey scattered six Cyclone (8-11) hits, struck out three and induced 16 groundouts on the day. As Frailey said, every infielder did their part. Each had two or three assists apiece.
"It was a great pitching performance with great defense. We played a solid game in all three facets," said UVU head coach TJ Hubbard. "This feels great. I'm very happy for the girls."
With the game still scoreless in the fifth inning, Basia Query jump-started the Wolverine (1-8) offense with a single to center for UVU's first hit of the day. Following an ISU double play, Lyndsay Steverson and Taylor Miller responded with back-to-back singles to put runners in scoring position with two away. St. George native Kirsten Andersen then followed with a clutch two-out RBI single to give the Wolverines the only run they would need. Behind in the count, Andersen turned on a 1-2 offering that Iowa State third baseman Talyn Lewis dove for and got her glove on, but her efforts weren't enough to keep Steverson from scoring the lone run of the game.
Aside from Andersen's crucial hit, Query led the Wolverine offense with two hits on the day by going 2-for-3 from the plate.
Frailey improves to 1-2 on the year with the win, while Iowa State's Brianna Weilbacher falls to 3-4 with the loss.
The victory not only marks UVU's first of the year but also its third win in program history over a Big 12 Conference opponent.
UVU continues preseason tournament play next week when it travels to Reno, Nevada, for the Nevada Wolf Pack Classic on March 10-11. The Wolverines will play host Nevada twice as well as St. Mary's twice in the tournament.
James Warnick is an assistant sports information director at Utah Valley University. For more information about Wolverine athletics, visit WolverineGreen.com.