Softball ends sooner than hoped
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Junior Mandy Tapia pitching in a recent game. Dave Iba - UVU Review
After finishing the year with 28 wins, the softball team concluded its season with the Great West Conference tournament in Dallas, Texas, from May 16-17. The Wolverines returned home with only one win.
The Wolverines went into the GWC tournament as the number one seed, but were upset in their first game 4-2 by the number four seeded University of North Dakota. UVU’s two runs came in the fifth inning when sophomore Amanda Perez hit her single-season school record twelfth homer of the year. ??UND’s four runs also came off homers including a two run job in the first and solo shots in the sixth and seventh innings to seal the victory. The loss dropped the Wolverines into the loser’s bracket and one loss short from being eliminated.
Later that afternoon, they were able to bounce back with a 5-2 win over Houston Baptist to remain alive in the tournament. Jessica Martin pitched a complete game for UVU and picked up her ninth win of the season.
On day two of the tournament, they met up with South Dakota, falling short in a 3-1 loss and ending their season. Both teams had three hits, but UVU’s three errors proved to be the difference.
The team finished second in their first year as part of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference Mountain Division with a 13-7 conference record in addition to placing third in the GWC tournament.
The Wolverines also had eight players named to All-Conference teams, two of which were first team selections. Head coach Todd Fairbourne was also named the GWC Coach of the Year.