The Utah Valley University softball team returned home for the first time this season, as they lined up for a doubleheader against the University of Maine this Wednesday, March 16, at the Wolverine Softball Field. The Wolverines were victorious in both games, winning game one 6-5 and game two 5-2.
Brooke Carter and Madison Carr impressed early in game one, leading the way for the Wolverines in front of the home fans. Carter’s six strikeouts on the mound paired with Carr’s two runs helped UVU take a 3-1 lead by the top of the fourth.
The lead did not last long as Maine hit back with two runs in the top of the fifth, bringing the score to a tie despite continued pressure from Carter and the rest of the team. In the bottom of the fifth, the Wolverines broke away and stole a 5-3 lead after Kalena Shephard hit a two-run double that plated Carr and Linnah Rebolledo. Later in the inning, Megan Gibbs hit an RBI double that plated runner Brynne Hilton and brought the score to 6-3.
The Black Bears tried to mount a comeback and managed to score two runs in the top of the sixth, but the Wolverines were able to hold out and sealed a 6-5 victory.
In game two, the Black Bears scored first, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. However, the Wolverines rallied for a comeback in the second inning. Jaeden Barajas hit an RBI double that plated Rebolleo and Riley Thorpe drove in Barajas with an RBI double of her own, tying the game at 2-2.
In the bottom of the third, the Wolverines took the lead again with back-to-back home runs. Kalena Shephard led the way with a home run that plated Carr and put the Wolverines up by two, then Mikaela Thomson stepped up to bat and hit another home run that sailed out of the park, bringing the final score to 5-2.
Overall, UVU put on a strong team performance in their first two home games, and seven different Wolverine’s were able to get on the scoreboard.
The Wolverines go 2-0 against Maine and improve to 9-7 on the season. They will be back in action Friday, March 18, against WAC rival Dixie State at the Karl Brooks Field in St George, Utah. The match begins at 2 p.m. MT and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Included below are the full results from both matches.
Game one
Utah Valley 6
Position Player AB R H RBI BB SO LOB CF Carr, Madison 4 3 4 0 0 0 0 LF Rebolledo, Linnah 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 C Shepherd, Kalena 2 0 1 3 0 0 0 PR Hilton, Brynne 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1B Thomson, Mikaela 3 0 1 1 0 1 0 3B Gibbs, Megan 3 0 1 1 0 1 2 DP Milliken, Rien 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 SS Thorpe, Rylee 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 SS Vasquez, Victoria 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2B Hardy, Kyla 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 RF Betancur, Laynee 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 P Carter, Brooke 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 P Zuniga, Katie 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 27 6 11 5 1 3 5
Maine 5
Position Player AB R H RBI BB SO LOB DP Papushka, Gabby 4 0 2 1 0 1 1 CF/PR Neely, Brianna 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 RF Pearson, Mariah 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 SS Drews, Kelby 3 0 1 1 1 0 0 3B Gray, Jasmine 4 0 1 0 0 2 2 RF/CF Enos, Kya 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 2B Moery, Katie Jo 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 LF Clark, Keely 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 C Priest, Kennedy 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 PH Findley, Rebecca 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 1B Nieblas, Izzy 3 2 3 1 0 0 0 P Fallon, Caitlyn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 P Gruitch, Alexandra 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 P Reid, Emily 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 31 5 9 5 2 9 7
Game two
Utah Valley 5
Position Player AB R H RBI BB SO LOB CF Carr, Madison 4 1 2 0 0 2 1 DP Shepherd, Kalena 3 1 2 2 0 0 0 1B Thomson, Mikaela 3 1 1 1 0 0 1 3B Gibbs, Megan 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3B/2B Vasquez, Victoria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LF Rebolledo, Linnah 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 C Barajas, Jaeden 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 SS Thorpe, Rylee 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 SS Albritton, Danye 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2B Hardy, Kyla 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 PH/3B Prigge, Peyton 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 RF Betancur, Laynee 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 PH Hogan, Aubree 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 P Zuniga, Katie 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 26 5 8 5 2 3 5
Maine 2
Position Player AB R H RBI BB SO LOB DP Papushka, Gabby 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 CF Enos, Kya 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 1B Nieblas, Izzy 4 1 1 0 0 0 3 SS Drews, Kelby 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 3B Findley, Rebecca 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3B/SS Gray, Jasmine 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 2B/PR Moery, Katie Jo 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 PH Dailey, Kyrah 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 RF Pearson, Mariah 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 LF Clark, Keely 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 C Priest, Kennedy 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 PR Neely, Brianna 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 P Siciliano, Gabbie 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 P Reid, Emily 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 29 2 7 1 1 3 7
