Utah Softball Bounces Back with 6-3 Win at CSU

Saturday, May 7

Fort Collins, Colo.

1:00 PM

University of Utah

Colorado State

5/7/2011 12:00 AM | Softball

May 7, 2011

Box Score

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Freshman center fielder Chalese Fankhauser recorded three hits and drove in two runs and junior pitcher Generra Nielson threw her 11th complete game of the season to lead the University of Utah softball team to a 6-3 win over Colorado State Saturday at Ram Field.

Utah (29-20, 7-3 MWC) outhit the Rams 10-7 and was not charged an error for the 20th time this season and improved its record to 13-7 on such occasions this season.

Fankhauser was credited with an RBI single in the first inning, led off the fifth frame with a double then capped off her day at the plate with another RBI base hit in the sixth. Fankhauser is second on the team with a .351 batting average this year to go with 27 RBI. She is also 9-of-12 on stolen base attempts.

"Chalese Fankhauser has been a solid hitter for us all season," Utah head coach Amy Hogue said. "But we have to make plays defensively to win and today, she made some catches that really saved us in some situations."

Sophomore shortstop Kelsi Hoopiiaina came up with two hits for the Utes as well.

Nielson turned in her 11th complete game of the season on the mound and was awarded her 21st victory of the season. She now stands 21-11 overall after allowing three earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and three walks against the Rams.

"[Colorado State] is a good hitting team so Generra [Nielson] really had to switch up the pitches she used today," Hogue said. "Sometimes, you can get through a game with only one or two pitches but today she had to use everything she had."

Utah scored in the first inning for the third consecutive time and the 18th time this season when Fankhauser hit a one-out single that allowed Glover to score the first run of the game.

Senior designated player Brittany Parker led off the fourth frame with a solo home run for her fifth round-tripper of the season and the sixth of her career.

"I can't say enough about [Brittany] Parker and what she's meant to us," Hogue said. "I would not want to pitch to her. The thing about her success lately is that she's not even hitting strikes. She's swinging aggressively and going out of the strike zone to hit home runs and line drives."

The Rams got on the scoreboard for the first time in the same inning as Morghan Doughty drew a bases loaded walk to force in Emily Pohl.

The Utes pushed across three more runs in the fifth when Fankhauser lined a double to left field then Tia Palauni was hit by a pitch and Parker drew a walk. Holm singled to left to allow the first run of the inning to cross the plate and Cheyella Myers grounded an 0-2 pitch to second base that to score Utah's second run. Katelyn Elliott made a pinch hit appearance and it paid off as she slapped a single down the right-field line to score Sandi Bowles for the final run of the frame. Elliott now has six RBI this year.

Utah added an insurance run in the sixth, starting with a leadoff double by Tara Glover to left field. Fankhauser then got a base hit on a 2-2 delivery that allowed Glover to score the Utes' sixth run of the contest.

Colorado State scored twice in the seventh to set the final margin at 6-3.

With New Mexico's 3-2 over BYU this afternoon, the Utes remain 1.5 games behind the Cougars in the conference title race heading into next Saturday's doubleheader at Gail Miller Field.

"[The conference title race] doesn't change our approach one bit," Hogue said. "We're still going rely on our pitching and defense and use a lot of different players in different situations. It's fun to play an entire season with a shot at the title and so far this season, we've won every game when we hold our opponents to three runs or less. So if we can do that, we'll have a chance."

Utah concludes its regular season with a doubleheader at BYU next Saturday, May 14. First pitch of game one is set for 2 p.m. MT.