After a tough couple of weeks against opponents like Arizona and Stanford, Utah Softball finally found their luck against the Arizona State Sun Devils. Multiple Utes had a standout weekend, including pitcher Mariah Lopez who snagged Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors.
Game One – Arizona State
Arizona State got out in front early in the game, after a double to right center and subsequent error by the Utah right field allowed an unearned score for the Sun Devils. Utah responded immediately, with Aliya Belarde and Abby Dayton delivering a pair of singles in the top of the third, but ultimately to no avail as Belarde was tagged out at second. The Utes’ run came in the fourth, when Shelbi Ortiz was hit by the pitch, loading the bases alongside Shonty Passi and Chloe Doyle. In true Belarde fashion, the senior came up to bat to nail a grand-slam homer, easing all four Utes home and bringing the score to 4-1.
With such a tough blow from Utah, Arizona State had no response before the game turned back over to the Utes in the fifth. With Haley Denning already on base, Julia Jimenez came through with a triple, adding another score to the tally and putting Jimenez on third. A pair of doubles from Taylor Jacobs and Sianni Sakai brought the Utes to seven, seemingly knocking the wind out of the Sun Devils. The latter managed a home run on their end of the inning, but it still wasn’t enough. The Utes came back in the seventh, and before long a fielder’s choice and error from second base saw Doyle and Passi make it 9-2. A last-minute effort from Arizona earned them one final run in the last play of the game, but the team still fell to the Utes 9-3.
Game Two – Arizona State
Coming off of a solid win from the night before, the Utes came into game two of the series ready for a repeat. Denning stepped up to bat and made it all the way to third on a double, courtesy of an error from centerfield. Hits from Kaylah Nelsen and Sophie Jacquez earned a score for Denning, and a Jimenez double saw the two home as well. With just one inning gone, the Utes were up 3-0 with plenty of fuel left in the tank.
Back in the top of the third, Jacquez got on base early with a hit, when Jimenez came in with the Utes’ second homer of the weekend to up the score 5-0. Denning added her second run of the day during the fourth, and during the fifth found herself on second with the bases loaded. Nelsen came in to send a double down the center line, allowing enough time for all three to make it home.
Arizona State found their footing for a series of plays during the fifth, when multiple hits and two home runs handed the Sun Devils a whopping six runs. Utah didn’t have a response in the sixth, and soon Arizona had Utah fans sweating, as the team nailed four more hits that resulted in three additional runs. In the bottom of the seventh, Arizona had the bases loaded, where all that was needed was one more homer to put them ahead of the Utes. Luckily for Utah, their final batter struck out, securing a narrow victory for the Utes at 10-9.
Game Three – Arizona State
At the end of an adrenaline-packed weekend, Sunday’s closer against Arizona State witnessed a significant drop in action. The Utes had several good plays, with Belarde and Denning making it on base early in the first, though Utah did not record any hits until the fifth. Evidently, the Utes were saving the best for last — with bases finally loaded after a single from Belarde, Denning came in with a double and earned two RBIs in the process. A fielding error on the next play from the shortstop gave Belarde the opportunity to go home as well, and one final error from the center got Denning there to finish out the game 4-0.
Game Four – Weber State
Utah’s mid-week game against the Weber State Wildcats got off to a slower start, but ultimately the Utes came to deliver the same way they did all weekend. Denning kicked off the action again with a single, pushing to second after Jimenez walked. Kendall Lundberg pushed the two up after a walk herself when a fielder’s choice helped the pair claim unearned runs. Doyle came up to bat and flew out to right field, earning her an RBI for Lundberg’s subsequent run.
Thanks to Lopez’s pitching, Weber managed a mere two hits for the rest of the game, with only four in total for the match. Eight strikeouts from the pitcher didn’t make things any easier, and with the Wildcats being unable to break through, the Utes took the game 3-0.
This weekend the Utes will welcome the Idaho State Bengals to Dumke Stadium for a quick two-game series on Sunday before Baylor University travels to Salt Lake next week for a one-game series on Wednesday.
a.thomas@dailyutahchronicle.com
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