CORVALLIS, Ore. – Utah Softball used a big blast by
Makayla Hurst and a complete game effort from
Sydney Sandez to even its final series of the season at Oregon State, 6-2
Sandez won her 11
th game of the season and improved to 6-3 in Pac-12 play. She needed just 71 pitches to record her first seven-inning complete game win against a conference opponent. She had previously gone six innings in a win over No. 3 Washington and 6 2/3 in a loss at No. 16 Arizona State.
BreOnna Castaneda was plunked to start the second and
Hailey Hilburn reached on an error. Hurst followed with her first homer in Pac-12 play, a three-run bomb to open the scoring. Castaneda has now reached base safely in 12 straight games, matching the most by a Utah player this season.
Utah left
Ally Dickman in scoring position during the first inning and
Alyssa Barrera notched her fifth outfield assist in conference play, throwing out Camryn Ybarra trying to stretch for a triple in the bottom half.
Leading 3-0, Dickman doubled and Barrera was hit with a pitch in the third. Hilburn jumped on the first pitch for a RBI single. After homering last night, Hilburn reached base safely three times this evening and has multi-hit games in three of her last four outings.
OSU got it back in the bottom half as Michelle Sass singled, moved up on an error and came around on a pair of ground outs.
Utah tacked on a run in the fourth when Hurst walked,
Julia Noskin singled and
Ellessa Bonstrom knocked home pinch-runner
Abby Robertson. Bonstrom has now collected four hits in the first two games of the series.
Sandez worked around trouble in the bottom half and Utah left the bases loaded in the fifth before Frankie Hammoude hit a solo drive in the sixth for the Beavers.
Utah got an insurance run in the seventh when Hilburn singled and
Katie Faulk cranked a two-out double for the final score.
Utah's last game of the season is tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. PT/11 a.m. MT vs. the Beavers