The Utah Valley University softball team fell to the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights 0-8 and the Sacramento State University Hornets 6-7 on the first day of games for the Wolverines in the NorCal Kickoff Tournament held in Sacramento, California.
The Scarlet Knights put up a dominant defensive shutout holding the Wolverines’ three hits. They scored a run in the first, two runs in the fourth, two runs in the fifth, and three in the seventh to put the Wolverines away 8-0 on 13 hits. Wolverine pitcher Brooke Saili started the year off with a loss and Scarlet Knights pitcher Morgan Smith picked up the win.
In the second game on opening day, the Wolverines found themselves down 2-0 against the SSU Hornets after The Hornets doubled to left center and drove in two runs. The Wolverines responded in their next at-bat as Megan Gibbs scored on a wild pitch narrowing the deficit to one.
A three-run home run and an RBI double in the bottom of the seconds lifted the Hornets to a 6-1 lead.
An RBI base hit for the Wolverines and a sac fly for the Hornets were the only runs scored up until the top of the seventh.
Down 7-2 the Wolverines had to make a push in their last at-bat. Taylor Wooten started the inning off hot for the Wolverines with a double, Libbie Hawker then reached base on a fielding error. Birtney Moreno drove the ball right to short and into a double play. The optimism for a rally had dimmed until Thorpe singled to right and Shepherd walked which loaded up the bases.
With two outs and the bases loaded, Gibbs launched a ball that carried over the right field fence for a grand slam that cut the deficit to 1. After the grand slam, Jaeden Barajas was up to bat and popped up to the shortstop on the first pitch that came at her. The Wolverines went on to fall to the Hornets 7-6.
For more information and a look at the Wolverines’ full schedule visit go.uvu.edu.
