Utes Sweep Away Weber State

Monday, April 16

Salt Lake City, Utah

4:00 PM

University of Utah

19-18

Weber State

20-18

Weber State

Utah

4/16/2018 8:57 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Utah 2 Weber 1 Utah 10 Weber 1

Utah Softball takes DH from Wildcats

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah Softball earned a much-needed sweep of Weber State to start a stretch of six games in six days. The Utes held on to win a pitcher's duel in the opener, 2-1, before wailing on the Wildcats in the nightcap, 10-1.

Utah 10, Weber State 1 (5 innings)
Kelly Martinez, Heather Bowen and Alyssa Palacios were a combined 7-for-9 with six runs scored and six driven in for Utah while Hailey Hilburn pitched a complete game to earn the win.

Weber State struck immediately when the third batter of the game, Ashlyn Visser smoked a RBI double for a 1-0 lead. That was the only run allowed by Hilburn, who struck out five WSU batters to earn her fifth win of the season.

Utah was silent for the first two innings before exploding in the third. Abby Robertson started with a single and moved to second after a sacrifice bunt. She would score on a Julia Noskin single that tied the score. The freshman left fielder alertly took second on the throw and advanced on an error, which allowed her to score on a BreOnna Castaneda sacrifice fly for a 2-1 lead.

Another error allowed Alyssa Barrera to reach base and she scored when Bowen cracked a double to the wall in right center. Martinez followed with a two-run homer to dead center, her third of the season. Consecutive singles by Palacios, Hilburn and Aubrey Peterson brought another run home for a 6-1 advantage.

In the fourth, Noskin reached on an error to start and advanced to third on a Castaneda single and Barrera ground out. Bowen slapped the first pitch she saw for a RBI single, which started a string of four-straight run-scoring hits. Martinez sliced a ball down the left-field line for a RBI double, Palacios added a RBI single before Hilburn closed the scoring with another RBI double.

Utah 2, Weber State 1
The opener was a much tighter affair with Miranda Viramontes winning a pitching duel to get the Utes off on the right foot.

The senior pitched a complete game, striking out four and working out of a bunch of jams throughout the contest.

Miranda struck out Ali Belloc with two on to start the game in a sign of what was to come.

Utah took the lead in the second as Kelly Martinez started the frame with a double to left center. Hailey Hilburn lifted a long fly to center and Martinez advanced a pair of bases to score on the sacrifice fly.

With the bases loaded in the third, Viramontes induced a ground ball back to the circle and was able to fire home for a force at the plate. She then got a grounder to BreOnna Castaneda at second to keep the Utes in front.

The Utes received a jolt from an unlikely source in the bottom half as Julia Noskin, the leadoff hitter, belted her first collegiate homer over the wall in right field for a 2-0 lead.

WSU loaded the bases to begin the fifth but Viramontes struck out Molly Horne, got a ground ball to short and another one to third as the Wildcats could score just one run.

It would come down to the final frame as once again, Weber State loaded the bases, this time with one out. Viramontes got Belloc to pop up in foul ground to Alyssa Palacios before Chloe Camarero grounded out to Abby Robertson

NEXT UP
Utah is home again on Wednesday at 6 p.m. MT for the annual Deseret First Duel with BYU. You can catch the game live on the Pac-12 Networks or head on out to Dumke Family Softball Stadium. Admission is free.