Utes Use Pitching to Push Win Streak to Three

Thursday, March 9

Oahu, Hawaii

9:00 PM

University of Utah

16-4

Hawai'i

12-9

Utah

Hawaii

3/9/2017 10:55 PM | Softball

Box Score

Utah beats Charleston Southern and host Hawaii; allow just three hits

HONOLULU, Hawaii - No. 20 Utah Softball, buoyed by strong starting pitching and solid defense, blanked its two opponents on Thursday. The Utes clobbered Charleston Southern in the opener 9-0 and then silenced the hosts Hawaii 1-0 in the nightcap.

Through three games at the Outrigger Spring Fling Tournament, all Utah wins, the team has allowed just six hits. Meanwhile, four starters are hitting over .500 for the Utes with Alyssa Barrera batting .625 and scoring five times. Anissa Urtez is also firing on all cylinders at a .556 clip with a team-high six runs driven in.

Utah 1 Hawaii 0
Katie Donovan stole the show with a complete game, two-hit shutout in the second game. The junior struck out five Wahine batters and improved to 9-4 on the season.

During the Utah first, it started by getting a one-out double from Alyssa Barrera but she was caught in a rundown and forced at third. Hawaii countered by getting a runner in scoring position with one out but a pair of ground balls ended the threat.

In the third, the Rainbow Wahine put a runner on second to start the inning but Donovan induced a pop up and fly out before a strikeout kept the game scoreless.

In the Utah fourth, Barrera and Hannah Flippen each singled up the middle to get it going. The chance seemed to have passed after Flippen was caught stealing and a Ute strikeout. However, a Heather Bowen tapper was too tricky for Hawaii, allowing the first run to score.

That was all she wrote, as neither offense threatened for the rest of the game and the Utes improved to 16-4 on the season

Utah 9 Charleston Southern 0
Hailey Hilburn improved to 3-0 with a one-hit, complete game shutout of CSU in the opener this afternoon. The sophomore entered with a 0.24 ERA, fifth-lowest in the nation.

Delilah Pacheco worked a full count before walking and Alyssa Barrera singled to start the game. After a successful double steal put both runners in scoring position, Hannah Flippen doubled to left for a 2-0 lead.

Anissa Urtez followed with a RBI single up the middle and then stole second. BreOnna Castaneda grounded a ball to the right side that was booted, allowing the Utah shortstop to come home for the fourth run of the first inning.

Kelly Martinez started the second with a double and after a pair of outs, Flippen struck again with a run-scoring single. She then stole second and Urtez drove her home with a base knock to right.

The scoring took a break in the third but returned in the fourth. Kay Kay Fronda singled, Barrera walked and Flippen laced a RBI single. Urtez delivered again with a two-run single on the first pitch she saw for the 9-0 final.