Stellar Pitching Pushes Utah to Sweep

Saturday, March 10

College Park, Md.

10:30 AM

University of Utah

12-7

Maryland

6-17

Utah

Maryland

Photo by: Steve C. Wilson

3/10/2018 6:54 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Utah 6 Maryland 2 Utah 9 Yale 1

Donovan and Viramontes each reach double-digit K's

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – A pair of dominating pitching performances paired with some timely hitting gave Utah Softball two more wins on Saturday. The Utes defeated Maryland for a second time in the opener, 6-2, before routing Yale, 9-1, in the evening's finale.

Katie Donovan struck out 10 batters in six innings against the Terrapins and Miranda Viramontes matched her by sitting down another 10 batters in five innings against the Bulldogs. Both single-game totals were career highs as Donovan surpassed 500 strikeouts for her Utah tenure and Viramontes went over the 300-K mark.

Utah 6, Maryland 2
The Utes got an early jolt when Hailey Hilburn homered in the second. It was her second of the season after just one during her first two seasons with the Utes.

The Terrapins answered in the second. After a one-out double, they evened the score on a RBI single from Mikayla Werahiko when she took the first pitch up the middle.

Maryland got another double to start the third and took the lead as Brigette Nordberg singled up the middle on an 0-2 count

Trailing for the first time, Heather Bowen took the first pitch she saw in the fourth and drove it to center for a hit. She was then lifted for pinch runner Aubrey Peterson, who moved to second on a sac bunt by Kelly Martinez. BreOnna Castaneda came through with a shot past the diving shortstop to tie the score, 2-2.

In the fifth, Julia Noskin was able to leg it out to first on a fielder's choice and the hustle paid off as Bowen crushed a ball of the wall in left for a RBI double and 3-2 lead.

Three of the first four Utah batters reached in the sixth when Hilburn doubled and Castaneda singled. Alyssa Palacios delivered with a two-run double off the wall in left center for a 5-2 edge.

Some insurance was scored in the seventh when Bowen started it off with another double. Once again, Martinez moved her over and the Utah third baseman expertly avoided the tag at home on a Hilburn fly to right.

Prior to her 10-K performance in the second game, Miranda Viramontes sat down two Terrapin batters in the seventh.

Utah 9, Yale 1
Yale took an immediate lead when the first two runners reached and cleanup hitter Francesca Casalino brought one home on a squeeze play.

In the bottom of the second, Kelly Martinez walked and Hailey Hilburn singled. BreOnna Castaneda moved them both up with a bunt and Chandler Walter smacked a two-run double.

A frustrating third inning saw Utah load the bases with no one out, but after a pitching change, the Bulldogs kept the Utes off the board.

In the fifth, Utah loaded them up again as Julia Noskin, Heather Bowen and Martinez all singled. Castaneda was plunked to bring in a first run and Alyssa Palacios singled through the right side for two more. Ally Dickman got in on the act with a two-run double to center for a 7-1 lead.

Clare Feldman entered in relief of Viramontes and struck out the side in the sixth. In total on Saturday, Utah pitchers struck out 25 of the 49 batters they faced.

That allowed Utah to end the game early as Martinez crushed a ball to left for a two-run shot, her second homer in as many nights and 10^th of her career.

Utah has one more game to play at the Maryland Invitational tomorrow morning against Jacksonville at 10 a.m.