Utes Down Buckeyes 10-7 in Extra Innings

Sunday, February 22

Cathedral City, Calif. (Big League Dreams Park)

9:00 AM

University of Utah

Ohio State

2/22/2015 12:00 AM | Softball

Feb. 22, 2015

Box Score

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. - The Utah Utes scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to down the Ohio State Buckeyes, 10-7, in extra innings Sunday morning at Big League Dreams Park.

The Utes took a 7-3 lead into the seventh inning, but in a bizarre inning that opened with four-straight OSU singles, the Buckeyes managed to plate home four runs and tie the game at 7-7.

With the Utes leading 7-6, the Buckeyes had runners on second and third base with just one out when Jayla Saibene hit a towering shot to left field. Utah senior Maddy Woodard was forced to back up on the play and when she caught the ball for the out at the breakaway wall, she fell backwards and out of play. The runner at third scored to tie the game and then the runner at second advanced to third and went home to score before the umpires called the rest of play dead due to Woodard being out of the field of play.

The umpires consulted after the play and informed both coaches that just one run counted and the other runner could only go to third base. Then with two outs and the runner at third, freshman Katie Donovan managed to get the final out when Erika Leonard fouled out to junior Shelby Pacheco at the catcher position.

Due to international tiebreaker rules, sophomore Hannah Flippen was placed at second base to begin the eighth inning and she moved to third with a stolen base. Senior Kate Dickman followed with a walk and then she stole second base to give the Utes runners in scoring position with no outs.

Sophomore Bridget Castro drove in what would become the game-winning runs with her double to center field when Flippen and Dickman both came home on the play. Castro than added an insurance run for the Utes when she scored on sophomore Anissa Urtez's single to right-center field.

Senior Mariah Ramirez (W, 3-0) came into the game in a relief effort for the Utes in the bottom of the eighth inning and all she did was get the Buckeyes to ground out, fly out and ground out to end the game and preserve the win for the Utes.

Junior Kristen Stewart led the Utes at the dish, going 2-for-4 with a run batted in and three runs scored. Flippen hit her second home run of the season in the game - a solo bomb for the Utes in the sixth inning - and Woodard added a hit with a team-high three RBI.

Freshman Miranda Viramontes got the start for the Utes, but she earned a no-decision after giving up just two runs on six hits and striking out three batters in her four full innings of work. Sophomore Sammy Cordova and Donovan combined to work three inning prior to Ramirez' one full inning of work.

OSU's Olivia O'Reilly (L, 1-1) was saddled with the loss in the game. She started the game and later reentered, giving up a total of five runs on four hits in 3.2 innings of duty in the circle.

With the win, Utah improved to 11-4 overall, while Ohio State fell to 9-3 with the loss.