No. 16 Utah Softball Splits Games at Red Desert Classic

Friday, March 3

St. George, Utah

3:00 PM

University of Utah

12-2

Montana

5-10

Montana

Utah

No. 16 Utah Softball Splits Games at Red Desert Classic

3/3/2017 8:42 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Utes win opener but fall in nightcap

ST. GEORGE, Utah - No. 16 Utah Softball split its doubleheader during the first day of the Red Desert Classic. The Utes topped Montana, 5-2, before falling apart late in a 7-6 loss to Nevada.

Utah 5 Montana 2

Delene Colburn homered immediately to give the Grizzlies a 2-0 lead but Utah responded right away.

Alyssa Barrera reached via a fielder's choice and after Anissa Urtez singled, a wild pitch advanced both runners. Heather Bowen smacked an infield single to halve the Ute deficit.

Bowen then homered on the first pitch she saw in the third to even the score, 2-2.

After Katie Donovan worked out of trouble in the fourth, she was lifted for Hailey Hilburn. The sophomore benefitted from some strong defense as a Grizzly runner was cut down at home to preserve the tie.

It stayed tied until the sixth when Kelly Martinez blasted her first collegiate home run for a 3-2 Utah lead. After a Hilburn single and Montana error, Bella Secaira added a run with a RBI groundout. Flippen smoked a double to right for a 5-2 Utah advantage.

Hilburn earned her first win of the season thanks to three shutout innings of relief. She allowed just one hit and struck out two batters en route to the victory.

Nevada 7 Utah 6

It looked like Utah was going to use the momentum from the first game to roll to victory in the second based on its performance through the first six innings.

Things started positively in the second when Bowen walked and moved up on a sac bunt. After a Montana error, BreOnna Castaneda smacked a two-run double for an early lead.

Urtez singled to start the fourth and Bowen blasted a two-run homer, her second of the day for a 4-0 lead. It was the junior's fourth homer of the season, matching her output from last year.

Bowen came up big again in the sixth after Delilah Pachceo singled, Barrera reached on a fielder's choice and then moved up via stolen bases. Utah's third baseman blooped in a two-run single for what seemed to be, an insurmountable 6-0 edge.

However, a pair of singles by Nevada in the seventh started things. A pair of Utah errors allowed its opponents to get on the board. What followed was a walk, plunking, single, groundout, bunt single and a pair of walks. When all was said and done, 12 batters had come to the plate and the Wolfpack had walked off with an amazing win.

The frustration was also fueled by the fact that none of the runs were earned as Hilburn, making her first start of the season and coming off a win in the opener, threw a career-high 6 1/3 innings and also set a new personal mark with five strikeouts.