SEATTLE –
Aliya Belarde and
Kendall Lundberg both collected a pair of hits, but the No. 15 University of Utah softball team ended up on the short end of a 5-3 decision against the No. 9 Washington Huskies in Pac-12 Conference action on Sunday afternoon at the Husky Softball Stadium.
Utah is now 30-10 for the season and their conference mark is 12-6.
The scoring started with both teams putting up runs in the first inning, Utah on a
Julia Jimenez RBI single, Washington thanks to a passed ball that tallied Balyee Klingler. The Huskies added two more in the second courtesy of a pair of RBI singles to claim a 3-1 lead.
Twice over the last five innings, the Utes cut their deficit to a run, but they couldn't draw level in either instance. In the third, a pinch-hit double from
Kaylah Nelsen plated pinch-runner
Stella Bennett, only for Washington's Ruby Meylan to strike out the next hitter to strand two Utes in scoring position. The Huskies' offense got that run back in the fifth.
One frame later,
Hailee White came through with an RBI double to make the score 4-3 and Utah later loaded the bases with two outs, but couldn't find a way to bring in the tying run. After Washington increased its lead back to two in the bottom of the sixth, the Utes were able to bring up the tying run in the seventh, but couldn't find a way to put together a rally.
Up Next
A non-conference matchup is up next for the Utes, who will visit Utah Valley for a 6 p.m. MT contest on Tuesday.
Follow the Utes!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter:
@Utah_Softball |Instagram:
@utahsoftball | Facebook:
Facebook.com/Utessoftball).