The Utah softball team lost its first game of the season 2-1 in walk-off fashion against No. 24 Notre Dame (1-0) on Friday afternoon in Tempe, Ariz.
Sophomore pitcher Katie Donovan got the start in the circle for the Utes, facing a high-powered Irish offense that hit .351 and stole 80 bases last season.
Notre Dame drew first blood in the bottom of the first inning, as an error proved to be costly for Utah. After the Irish’s Karley Wester singled off Donovan to start off the bottom half of the first, she stole second. An error by third baseman Kristen Stewart brought home Karley Wester, and Notre Dame took the lead, 1-0.
But Utah responded in the top of the third. Delilah Pacheco, in her first game as a Ute, singled off Irish senior pitcher Allie Rhodes and then stole second base. Anissa Urtez doubled down the right field line in her only hit of the day to score Pacheco and tie the game at 1-1.
After the third, the game turned into a pitcher’s duel, with neither side relenting. Donovan only gave up two hits from the fourth to seventh innings, and Rhodes gave up one hit during the same time span. The game would head to extra innings after Donovan induced a ground-out by Wester in the bottom of the seventh.
Notre Dame put in junior pitcher Rachel Nasland in for the top of the eighth inning, and Utah left two runners stranded. Irish senior Micaela Arizmendi scored Ali Wester from third base to win the game for Notre Dame.
The winning pitcher was Nasland (1-0), while Donovan (0-1) took the loss. The Utes are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 13 with a doubleheader, playing Georgia State at 7 p.m. MST and Portland State at 9:30 p.m. MST.
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