In its final regular season conference home series, the No. 13 University of Utah softball team (33-14, 13-9 Pac-12)was swept by the No. 8 Washington Huskies (43-11, 16-8 Pac-12). The Utes fell 12-1 in the opener before dropping game two, 4-2 and the finale by a score of 13-12 in eight innings.
After game one head coach Amy Hogue said that Washington hit it better than her team did. She explained how it was hard to chase that many runs when her team was down.
Kicking the action off on Thursday, the Huskies took a quick lead over the Utes in the first inning when they put up two runs. Utah put up its lone run of the game in the bottom of the first after an RBI single off the bat of Anissa Urtez scored Hannah Flippen.
Flippen said the defeat was a tough game, and that there was not much they could do except come back the following day and be better, but the next two days the Utes were not able to fight back for the victories.
The Utes put up more of a fight in game two as they took the lead in the first and held onto it for the majority of the contest. Delilah Pacheco walked, and advanced to second on a pop up before scoring on an RBI single from Urtez that got Utah on the board.
The Utes gave up two runs in the sixth inning that allowed the Huskies to take the lead, but the Utes tied the ballgame in the bottom of the sixth. Kelly Martinez doubled and was sent home after BreOnna Castaneda hit an RBI single. With Utah’s final chance in the eighth to make something happen, the Utes could not muster the strength to win.
Wrapping up their regular season on Saturday, the Utes dropped the game in the extra inning. The Huskies got a run in the first, but Utah fired back scoring in the first, second, third and fourth to rack up 12 total runs. A two-run home run from Flippen got Utah on the board first. Flippen finished the game going 3-for-4 at the plate with two home runs, one triple, as well as scoring three runs and batting in five runs.
The Huskies got some momentum going in the fifth that continued for the remainder of the game. Four runners made it home in the fifth, before Washington exploded with six runs in the sixth. The Utes were close to escaping the sixth with no runs added for Washington, but a big play took place before the sixth inning runs were scored that changed the game. The umpire called a Washington runner safe which lead to the Huskies scoring on two two-RBI singles, an RBI double and an RBI single. Video replay did show Flippen applying a tag on the elbow of a Washington runner that would have been an inning-ending double play.
The Huskies added one run in the seventh and eighth innings to complete the sweep on the Utes senior day.
The NCAA softball regionals selection show will take place Sunday, May 14 at 8 p.m. MT as the Utes await their postseason fate.
@emileewhiteee