The Utah Valley University softball team won two games against WAC rivals California Baptist University on Friday, April 15 at the UVU Softball field in Orem, Utah.
The Wolverines dominated in game one of the doubleheader with an impressive performance defensively and at bat; they defeated the Lancers 10-0 in just five innings.
Wolverine Mikaela Thomson struck first with a two-run double in the bottom of the first that brought home Madison Carr and Linnah Robelledo. Megan Gibbs added pressure and hit an RBI single to right field that ran Kalena Shephard. A series of mistakes from the Lancers led to two conceded runs, and the Wolverines closed out the first with a shocking 5-0 lead.
In the second inning, Rebolledo added another run for the Wolverines that brought the score to 6-0. She continued to perform in the bottom third and hit a grand slam that scored Carr, Karleigh Olsen, and Laynee Bentacur. The match ended in the fifth thanks to a nearly perfect performance from UVU pitcher Katie Zuniga, who clinched the shutout and gave up just four hits overall.
Game two was more competitive, but the Wolverines escaped with a 4-3 victory thanks to a gritty team performance.
UVU started strong again and took a 2-0 lead in the first. Shepherd kicked things off with a single down the center that scored Carr and advanced Rebolledo to third. Thomson then stepped up to the plate and singled to bring home Rebolledo.
The Lancers hit back with a run from Shelby Arbeiter in the bottom second, bringing the score to 2-1. Both teams went scoreless in the third and fourth innings, but in the bottom of the fifth, Shepherd hit an RBI double to left center that brought home Rebolledo and extended the Wolverine’s lead to 3-1.
Still rallying for a comeback, the Lancers managed to score two runs in the top of the sixth, tying the game 3-3. In the bottom of the eighth, however, Wolverine Rylee Thorpe had a game-winning homerun to left field that proved to be the nail in the coffin for the Lancers.
The Wolverines go 2-0 against California Baptist University on Friday and improve to 15-17 on the season and 6-8 in WAC play. They return to action on Saturday, April 16 to their home field in Orem, Utah for the series finale against CBU. The match begins at 2 p.m. MT and can be streamed on ESPN+.
