LOS ANGELES – The University of Utah softball team battled back from an early 4-0 deficit, but ended up on the short end of a 6-5 loss to the No. 13 UCLA Bruins in Pac-12 Conference action on Saturday evening at Easton Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Utes' 2024 record is now 14-8 and they are 0-2 in the Pac-12, while the Bruins are 13-6 and 2-0 in league action
For the second straight evening, the Utes found themselves in a 4-0 hole after one frame, due in large part to a Sharlize Palacios three-run homer.
The Utes found a way to fight back in the third, when, with a runner on and two outs, they strung together three straight hits to get within a run.
Abby Dayton drove in her team's first run by lacing an RBI double into left-center, then
Kaylah Nelsen followed with a run-scoring two-bagger of her own to make the score 4-2. A
Julia Jimenez single to left then plated
Reese Lee and Utah was within a run.
Two innings later, the Utes went back to work and took the lead. With two outs, Dayton reached on an error and moved to second thanks to a knock by Nelsen. Jimenez then punched a single into left that sent Dayton across with the tying run and Utah took its first lead one batter later on a
Sophie Jacquez hit through the middle to score Nelsen.
Unfortunately for Utah, that lead didn't hold. A one-out walk in the bottom of the seventh and a groundout that moved the tying run into scoring position was followed by a game-tying hit off the bat of Jadelyn Allchin. Two more bases on balls brought up Megan Grant, who ended the game with a bases-loaded safety to left.
Up Next
Utah will have one more chance in Los Angeles, taking on the Bruins in a 12 p.m. MT tilt on Sunday.
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).