Upcoming Event: Softball versus Salt Lake Community College on October 21, 2025 at 4 p.m.
4 p.m.
Softball
vs Salt Lake Community College
The University of Utah Athletics
Friday, February 9
Clearwater, Fla.
11 a.m.
University of Utah
1-0
7
vs
2
Army
0-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
ARMY
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
7
5
Utah
1
3
0
2
0
1
X
7
7
2
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Krings, Laurin (1-0)
L: Lopez, Mariah (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Laird, Jenna 1 ; Honnold, Alex 1 ; Crenshaw, Julia 1
3B: Daly, Kara 1
RBI: Laird, Jenna 1 ; Honnold, Alex 1 ; Chester 1 ; Phillips, Chantice 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Laird, Jenna 1 ; Daly, Kara 1 ; Crenshaw, Julia 1 ; Gallagher, Maddie 1
SB: Laird, Jenna 1
Batting:
2B: Jimenez, Julia 1
RBI: Jimenez, Julia 1 ; Davison, Karlie 1
SH: Davison, Karlie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jimenez, Julia 1 ; Denning, Haley 1 ; Ortiz, Shelbi 1
SB: Denning, Haley 1
HBP: Melendez, Leilani 1
Game Leaders
dh/rf
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballUTIL
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
Photo by: Eli Rehmer/Utah Athletics
Utah Softball Starts the Season with a Split
2/9/2024 6:38 PM | Softball
Utes top Army in opener, drop narrow decision to Missouri
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Haley Denning logged three hits, scored four runs and stole five bases and University of Utah softball team split the first two games on its 2024 schedule, topping the Army Black Knights, 7-2, but dropping a narrow decision to the Missouri Tigers, 4-3, on Friday afternoon in Clearwater, Florida at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex.
The Utes, who stand at 1-1, have now won their season opener in seven of their last eight campaign.
"It was opening day and we definitely had our highs and lows," said coach Amy Hogue. "I'm glad we found a way to win game one, but we weren't stellar. Getting outplayed in game two was disappointing to say the least. Missouri beat us in every part of the game."
Utah vs. Army
The first game of Utah's 2024 season started with the Black Knights pushing across a run in the top of the opening frame, but the Utes answered immediately thanks to an Aliya Belarde single, a walk to Karlie Davison and an RBI knock off the bat of Leilani Melendez.
In the second, Utah crafted a three-run rally to grab the lead and a walk to Shonty Passi followed by a Denning hit got things started. When a bouncer by Belarde eluded Army's second baseman, Passi scampered across and Denning, who'd reached third, swiped home moments later to make the score 3-1. Belarde boosted her team's edge to three when she touched the plate on a groundout by Julia Jimenez.
While the Black Knights did cut into their deficit with a run in the third, the Utes added two more in the fifth, courtesy of an error that plated Denning and an RBI safety from Davison, and closed out the scoring with a double steal in the sixth that saw Denning finding the dish again.
This proved to be more than enough offense for starting pitcher Sarah Ladd, who threw all seven innings and permitted only a single earned run. She was at best over the final four stanzas, holding the Black Knights without an extra base hit and escaping a two-on, no-out jam in the sixth without allowing a run.
Utah vs. Missouri
In their second bout of the afternoon, the Davison got the Utes the early lead with an RBI single that brought in Jimenez, but the Tigers responded quickly when Chantice Phillips singled in Julia Crenshaw in the top of the second.
For the next two innings, both Utah's Mariah Lopez and Missouri's Laurin Krings kept the offenses at bay, but the Utes used a Denning single and a pair of fielder's choices to edge in front in the fifth, as Utah's left fielder scored all the way from second on a forceout.
Unfortunately for the Utes, that lead would be short-lived. The Tigers drew even in the sixth and took their first lead with two more tallies in the seventh. Utah staged a rally in their half of the final frame, rattling off three hits and putting the winning run on second, but Krings stopped the comeback attempt with a strikeout that brought the contest to a close.
"Our speed was what helped us win game one and kept us in game two," said Hogue. "Denning swiped five bags and touched home four times today. She looked great and so did Sarah Ladd, who pitched all seven [innings] in game one and was a perfect reliever in game two. We have lots of adjustments to make and plan to recover and get back at it first thing tomorrow."
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/.
Follow the Utes!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Softball |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).
The Utes, who stand at 1-1, have now won their season opener in seven of their last eight campaign.
"It was opening day and we definitely had our highs and lows," said coach Amy Hogue. "I'm glad we found a way to win game one, but we weren't stellar. Getting outplayed in game two was disappointing to say the least. Missouri beat us in every part of the game."
Utah vs. Army
The first game of Utah's 2024 season started with the Black Knights pushing across a run in the top of the opening frame, but the Utes answered immediately thanks to an Aliya Belarde single, a walk to Karlie Davison and an RBI knock off the bat of Leilani Melendez.
In the second, Utah crafted a three-run rally to grab the lead and a walk to Shonty Passi followed by a Denning hit got things started. When a bouncer by Belarde eluded Army's second baseman, Passi scampered across and Denning, who'd reached third, swiped home moments later to make the score 3-1. Belarde boosted her team's edge to three when she touched the plate on a groundout by Julia Jimenez.
While the Black Knights did cut into their deficit with a run in the third, the Utes added two more in the fifth, courtesy of an error that plated Denning and an RBI safety from Davison, and closed out the scoring with a double steal in the sixth that saw Denning finding the dish again.
This proved to be more than enough offense for starting pitcher Sarah Ladd, who threw all seven innings and permitted only a single earned run. She was at best over the final four stanzas, holding the Black Knights without an extra base hit and escaping a two-on, no-out jam in the sixth without allowing a run.
Utah vs. Missouri
In their second bout of the afternoon, the Davison got the Utes the early lead with an RBI single that brought in Jimenez, but the Tigers responded quickly when Chantice Phillips singled in Julia Crenshaw in the top of the second.
For the next two innings, both Utah's Mariah Lopez and Missouri's Laurin Krings kept the offenses at bay, but the Utes used a Denning single and a pair of fielder's choices to edge in front in the fifth, as Utah's left fielder scored all the way from second on a forceout.
Unfortunately for the Utes, that lead would be short-lived. The Tigers drew even in the sixth and took their first lead with two more tallies in the seventh. Utah staged a rally in their half of the final frame, rattling off three hits and putting the winning run on second, but Krings stopped the comeback attempt with a strikeout that brought the contest to a close.
"Our speed was what helped us win game one and kept us in game two," said Hogue. "Denning swiped five bags and touched home four times today. She looked great and so did Sarah Ladd, who pitched all seven [innings] in game one and was a perfect reliever in game two. We have lots of adjustments to make and plan to recover and get back at it first thing tomorrow."
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/.
Follow the Utes!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Softball |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).
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