Now that’s how you get back on track.
After a slow start to the second game of their double-header, the Utes’ bats came back to life as they earned a 8-2 victory over Utah State University in Logan.
Utah completed a three-game sweep of the Aggies in two days.
The Utes looked as if they might fall back into their hitting slump as they earned no hits and scored no runs in the first four innings of play, but they came alive in the fifth inning.
“They threw the same pitcher we faced (Monday) and we struggled again,” said head coach Amy Hogue.
The Utes scored two runs off of three hits to get the offense started in the top of the fifth inning.
Whitney Holm kept things going in the sixth, hitting the fourth Utah home run of the day8212;a solo shot to left field. Utah scored two more runs before the inning ended. With runners on second and third, Hannah Clements became the fifth Ute of the day to hit a home run, with a three-run shot to right field.
“We’ve been struggling getting hits with runners in scoring position and we didn’t today,” Hogue said. “We got the hits to get on and the hits that counted and that’s a big deal for us.”
Pitcher Lindsey Palmer earned her second win of the day as she pitched the entire second game, walking only two batters, striking out three and giving up just two runs.
The Utah defense committed two errors that allowed Utah State to score both of its runs.
The Utes still have two games ahead of them this week as they will face rival BYU on Friday and Saturday at Ute Field.
“We did the little things well today and we gained confidence,” Hogue said. “We’re on a roll and I think it’s the perfect time to have BYU come into town.”
Utes seek out 1-0 victory
Defense wins games.
The Utes used nearly flawless defense to hold the Utah State Aggies scoreless in their 1-0 victory on Monday.
“Within a game like this, you have to plan on winning with your defense and hope to put together a pair of hits and win a ball game defensively, and we did,” Hogue said.
After six and a half innings of play, the Utes found themselves with two outs and no base runners and facing extra innings.
Holm and Clements stepped up for the Utes, getting back-to-back hits to score the only run of the game.
Holm hit a hard line-drive over the first basemen’s head to get on base and get the Utes’ first hit of the game.
“When there were two outs, I was super nervous,” Holm said. “I just looked for my pitch and waited on it and hit it hard and luckily went over the first basemen’s glove.”
Clements followed Holm’s lead as she hit the walk-off double into right field, allowing Holm to score.
“I got a hit-and-run single and I just took a deep breath and thought about hitting her around and hit it,” Clements said. “It was exciting, because we needed that win. It was big.”
Despite allowing six Aggies to get on base, the Utes’ defense committed only one error and left all six Utah State players stranded.
After finally getting the bats going last weekend, Utah struggled at the plate, as it only got two hits in 24 at-bats.
“Their pitcher found a weakness and we didn’t make adjustments until very late in the game,” Hogue said. “The people that did hit it didn’t get any breaks. It went right at people, but still we need to make adjustments earlier in the game.”
Utes launch three homers, win 9-5
After Monday’s 1-0 win over Utah State, Hogue said she didn’t feel like her team brought everything it had to the plate8212;Tuesday, they held nothing back.
Three home runs in their first at-bats gave the Utes a 5-2 lead after the first inning, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish as they went on win, 9-5.
Batting first in the lineup was designated hitter Brooke Olson, who got things started for Utah with a home run to center field.
Senior Staci Hemingway, batting third, also hit a solo home run. After a walk and an error by Utah State, two Utes were on base, setting up the three-run blast by Tia Palauni8212;earning the Utes their fifth run of the inning.
Utah State responded with a two-run home run of its own, but were unable to keep the bats going after that, scoring just two runs and earning only five hits the rest of the game.
Two walks in the bottom of the third inning and one in the bottom of the seventh scored the Aggies’ other three runs.
Despite walking in three runs, Ashley Smuda and Palmer put in solid performances on the mound as they allowed only six hits and struck out six batters.
Solid hitting by the entire Utah team scored one run in each of the third, fourth, fifth and seventh innings.
The Utes, who have been struggling at the plate, earned 13 hits in 29 at-bats, turning in one of their batting games thus far this season.
Tyler CobbLindsey Palmer pitched 7 innings and allowed 2 runs on 10 hits in the Utes 8-2 win over Utah State in the second game of the double header in Logan. The Utes also earned a win in the first game by the score of 9-5.