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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Utah got an insurance run in the seventh when Hilburn singled and
Katie Faulk cranked a two-out double for the final score.
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Utah's last game of the season is tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. PT/11 a.m. MT vs. the Beavers
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