The breakthrough finally happened on Saturday afternoon.
Utah recorded its first Pac-12 win of the season and its first victory at Utah Softball Stadium after losing the first two games of their series against Arizona.
In their 8-4 win, the Utes scored more than five runs for the first time in the last 10 games. Hitting coach Maggie Livreri said Utah’s performance impressed her, especially after the Utes had pushed the Wildcats to 11 innings before losing Friday.
“Anytime you beat them it is an accomplishment, especially after coming out and playing in a [11] inning game the night before that we could’ve won, should’ve won,” Livreri said. “To bounce back was a big win … and to get the first Pac-12 win is a big deal.”
The Utes will face the Oregon Ducks, another conference opponent, today on the road. The Ducks haven’t lost a single game at home this year.
Oregon’s pitching staff is one of the best in the conference, as three of its pitchers have an ERA of fewer than two. Jessica Moore and Cheridan Hawkins particularly stand out. The two have won 25 games and have only lost five.
“Like any other Pac-12 team, they’ve got big hitters and good pitching,” said senior Jackie Sweet. “We’re going to have to keep focused and to keep our confidence from this last weekend.”
The Ducks have seven players who are batting more than .300. Of those seven, four are hitting over .400. Livreri said the Ducks are also hungry. They made it to the postseason but didn’t end up doing as well as they had hoped.
“Oregon is tenacious, and they’re powerful,” Livreri said. “They went to the World Series last year, so they have a lot of experience. They kind of have a chip on their shoulder. I think they wanted to go farther than they did.”
The Utes will play Oregon in a doubleheader today and in one game tomorrow. Kayce Nieto was the starting pitcher against Arizona on Saturday and will likely start one of the three games against the Ducks. She pitched a complete game against the Wildcats and only allowed four hits.
“It’s every player’s dream to play the best in the country,” Nieto said. “I still can’t believe I’m here sometimes.”
Today’s first game will begin at 4 p.m. Mountain Time.