Every team in every sport hopes for its season to culminate in a storybook ending with streamers falling and champagne bottles overflowing while We are the Champions blares over the loud speakers. The Utah Valley softball team was not that lucky, but is pleased as it won nine of its last 14 games to put a lid on a tough season.
“I can’t be disappointed at all,” coach Todd Fairbourne said. “This team has really grown in the last ten games.”
After suffering several personnel setbacks before the season began coach Todd Fairbourne knew that success would not come easy, and preached the importance of playing fearlessly and working harder than the team in the opposing dug out.
While the Wolverines’ output doesn’t efficiently reflect the input inserted into the season, Fairbourne is content with how his team finished the 2008 campaign. The highlight came in the final week of the season when the Wolverines knocked off the University of Utah as the two teams split a double dip at Utah Valley.
In need of a win to keep its postseason hopes alive, Utah came into the doubleheader with the Wolverines expecting to win two easy contests. Fairbourne and his crew are not ones to just rollover and came out ready to defend their home field.
Led by sophomore pitcher, Alli Bramwell, the Wolverines escaped with a 3-1 win to beat the Utes for the first time in team history. Utah Valley got all the runs they would need in the third when Meghan Woodworth and Magan Niemann sparked the rally with back-to-back singles. Bramwell’s sacrifice bunt put both runners in scoring position before Cherylyn McGraw ripped a three-run bomb over the gate to take the 3-0 lead.
Bramwell was golden inside the circle for the Wolverines as she held the Utes to one run in the win. On the season Bramwell finished with a team leading 13 wins, enough for a new school record.
While the season ended with a 6-1 loss the very next day to BYU at Miller Field the Wolverines walked off the field with their heads held high.
“We’ve seen some rough times this season, and the girls have always stuck it out,” Fairborne said. “The way we finished makes me hopeful for next year.”
