CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – The No. 20 University of Utah softball team churned out 16 runs on 19 hits and four pitchers combined to allow only one unearned run as the Utes downed the CSUN Matadors, 8-0, and the University of San Diego Toreros, 8-1, on Friday on the first day of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif.
The Utes have now pocketed three-wins-a-row and are 7-4 in 2024.
"Two good wins for the Utes," said coach
Amy Hogue. "Both Sarah and Mariah were cruising in the circle for us today and inning after inning they were dominant. Game one, we played a solid game in all areas and in game two, our hitters came out hot for a couple innings and then ran flat, which was disappointing. The goal is to be a great team, not just a good team, so we need to continue to play hard and stay focused on our game plan for seven innings. Abby had a perfect day at the plate, showing all kinds of different ways to get a hit. She was really impressive."
Utah vs. CSUN
Sarah Ladd got the weekend started by taking charge in the circle, tossing 4 1/3 scoreless innings for her fourth win of the year. She retired the side in order in three of the first four innings and collected five strikeouts without walking a batter. The Matadors managed only a second inning single off Utah's starter, who didn't let a runner past first base all day.
Utah's surplus of run support for their hurler began with a four-run second and
Leilani Melendez got the scoring started with her first career homer. The Utes then proceeded to load the bases and
Kaylah Nelsen stroked a double into left-center, which brought
Karlie Davison and
Abby Dayton home.
Shelbi Ortiz then grounded out to second, allowing
Julia Jimenez to cross home and extend the lead to four.
Utah tallied another run in the third on a Dayton RBI triple, and the Utes kept momentum going in the fourth, putting runners on second and third with one out.
Haley Denning crossed the plate on a fielder's choice and a groundout one batter later plated
Aliya Belarde. Davison then capped the scoring with an RBI single to center.
Utah vs. San Diego
Against the Toreros, the Utah offense went to work immediately, putting up a first-inning five-spot. A Belarde RBI single drove in the first run, then Jimenez tacked on two more with a knock through the middle. When Nelsen drove a double into left one batter later, Davison and Belarde touched home to make the score 5-0.
The Utes added three more in the second, starting with a groundout that sent Belarde to the dish. Davison followed with a double to drive in Utah's seventh run and when
Abby Dayton beat out an infield hit, Davison crossed the plate for an 8-0 advantage.
That run support was more than enough for
Mariah Lopez, who gave up only one unearned run through six innings. Lopez started her outing by striking out the side in the first, then she stranded two runners in scoring position in the second. In the third and fourth, she benefitted from a pair of double plays before the Toreros tallied a run in the fifth. After one frame from Lopez,
Brooklyn Carreon closed out the night with a scoreless seventh.
Up Next
The Utes will be back on the diamond twice more on Saturday, first facing Notre Dame at 4 p.m. MT, followed by a 6:30 p.m. MT meeting with Wisconsin.
Season Tickets
Season tickets for the 2024 campaign are now available. Fans can purchase season tickets by calling the Utah ticket office at 801-581-8849 or visit
www.utahtickets.com/softball/.
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Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter:
@Utah_Softball |Instagram:
@utahsoftball | Facebook:
Facebook.com/Utessoftball).