It looked similar to someone taking candy from a baby as the Utes breezed through another game in their fall season Tuesday afternoon at home.
Utah took on Snow College and won 20-1, and in the process looked solid on both offense and defense.
“We did a lot of the little things right that most people don’t understand,” said assistant coach Cody Thomson.
Many of the things Utah did could be easily understood, though. The Utes got off to a quick start, scoring three runs in the first inning. The Badgers responded with a run in the second, but that’s all they would score on the day. In total, Utah crossed the plate multiple times in seven of the contest’s innings as it capitalized on multiple errors from Snow.
“I think we did very well,” said junior pitcher Mariah Ramirez. “We were able to get runs eight out of the 10 innings we played.”
Ramirez played a big part on both offense and defense. In the third inning, she hit a huge double that made it to the back fence, which allowed three Utes to score. Ramirez also pitched effectively in the time she saw on the mound. In an effort to get as many players as possible time on the field, three pitchers saw action for the home team.
Despite the scoring barrage, Utah’s defense may have outshined its offense. The team was successful in getting quick outs, and in the first three innings, the Utes turned a double play in each frame.
“That has a lot to do with the pitching, which makes it easier for our players to pick it up,” Thomson said.
Tuesday’s contest was the fifth game of a six-game short fall season for the Utes. All of the games have been against junior colleges.
“We have got a brand new infield, so our biggest purpose is to get those new kids in and developed,” Thomson said.
The Utes are also using this mini-season to try different players at new positions. This is so the coaching staff can see which players are comfortable at different positions in hopes that they can play at those positions in the spring when contests count toward Pac-12 standings.
“Sometimes you get surprised by who is comfortable where and that is what we use the fall for,” Thomson said.
Up next for Utah will be the finale of the fall season on Thursday afternoon against Salt Lake Community College, which is perennially one of the top junior college teams in the country.
“We really just need to work on the little things,” Ramirez said. “We need to get ready for the big Pac-12 teams.”