Softball Drops Twinbill to CSU

Saturday, April 16

Salt Lake City, Utah

TBA

University of Utah

Colorado State

4/16/2005 12:00 AM | Softball

April 16, 2005

Utah-CSU Box Score -- Game 1
Utah-CSU Box Score -- Game 2

SALT LAKE CITY - Colorado State benefited from two late-game rallies in grabbing a pair of conference wins over the University of Utah softball team here this afternoon, 10-4 and 5-2.

The Rams (13-22 overall, 6-4 Mountain West) erased a four-run deficit and scored six unearned runs in the final two innings to grab the game-one win. They also plated four runs in the ninth to break a 1-1 tie and earn the game-two win. Utah falls to 13-22 for the year, 1-7 in conference action.

Moreover, the Rams out-slugged the Utes on the day, banging out 29 hits to Utah's 16. CSU had 13 hits in game one and 16 in game two. The Rams also benefited from six Utah miscues, four of which came in the first game. Utah had seven hits in game one and nine in the nightcap.

Brianna Gourdin got the nod in game one and took the loss for Utah. She fanned six Ram batters and walked three in scattering 13 hits. Lindsie Nielsen came on in relief in game one and started game two. On the day, Nielsen tossed 10.1 innings, struck out five, walked three, and allowed 16 hits and five earned runs. Gourdin falls to 8-10 for the year and Nielsen to 5-11.

Kelly Genevieve got the wins in both games for the Rams. She's 12-7 this year.

Offensive accolades for the Utes go to Kate Nygaard. She was 4-for-6 with four of the team's five RBI and tallied a solo home run in game two. Diana Phillips went 3-for-6 at the plate in extending her hitting streak to a team-high-tying nine games.

Colorado State 10, Utah 4

The Utes rushed out to a 4-0 lead on the Rams but CSU scored in each of its last four at-bats to plate 10 unanswered runs.

An RBI single by Devina Quintero and a two-RBI single by Nygaard gave Utah a 3-0 lead in the first. The Utes hung a fourth run on the board in the third when Phillips legged out a triple and was awarded home on a throwing error.

However, CSU tied it with two runs in each the fourth and fifth and exploded for another four unearned runs in the sixth.

Kerry Farrell's RBI double in the sixth gave the Rams their first lead on the day, 5-4, but it was Kelly's three-run double in the sixth that put the Rams in the driver's seat. They held an 8-4 at that point as it went on to the six-run win.

Colorado State 5, Utah 2 (9 innings)

The two conference rivals exchanged runs in the fifth inning but couldn't settle the match in the regulation seven innings.

Lauren Cusick broke the scoreless tie in the fifth with a sac fly to left. That scored Jessica Strickland and gave CSU the brief 1-0 lead. However, Utah responded in its next at-bat. Nygaard's RBI single to right allowed Phillips to easily score from second and knotted the game at 1-1.

It wasn't until the ninth inning that the game would be settled. With one out, CSU's top four batters all scored to make it 5-1. RBI singles by Strickland and Kelly in the ninth coupled with a two-RBI double by Cusick spelled doom for the home team.

All Utah had left in the tank was one more run, a leadoff home run by Nygaard in the ninth. The next three Ute batters would all go down in order.