On a rainy evening at Dumke Family Softball Stadium, Utah dropped a 5-2 decision to Utah Valley.
The host Utes (13-21) had a chance to set the tone when Alyssa Barrera singled between walks to Julia Noskin and Makayla Hurst to load the bases. Instead, UVU’s Devyn Cretz capped the inning by striking out the side to keep the game scoreless.
The Utes broke through in the third as Barrera singled with two outs and Hurst drove her in with a single to right. Utah’s junior center fielder was off with the crack of the bat and able to beat the throw home.
Utah pitcher Sydney Sandez ran into trouble in the fourth. Utah Valley (11-17) answered Utah’s run with Linnah Rebolledo RBI to tie the game, 1-1.
Ellessa Bonstrom doubled to begin the bottom half and Barrera singled again to put runners on the corners. UVU tried to pick Bonstrom off third base while Barrera stole second and the throw was off the mark, allowing Utah to regain the lead, 2-1. After Barrera moved to third on the error, Utah had a chance to extend its lead, but three consecutive pop ups ended the threat. Utah left 10 runners on base during the contest.
For the second time, the Wolverines quickly responded. Skylar Cook doubled to start the sixth and Lyndsay Steverson smashed a two-run homer for a 3-2 UVU lead.
UVU put the game away with a pair of runs in the seventh. Jordan Freas walked before Madison Sisco and Peyton Prigge doubled in back-to-back at-bats to make the score, 5-2.
For Cretz, it was her third complete-game win in her last three starts. Cretz allowed one earned run on nine hits while striking out three.
BYU 13, Southern Utah 4 • In Cedar City, the Cougars scored four runs in the first inning and led 8-1 after four.
SUU’s Hannah Williams hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth to make it 8-3, and Kendall Kapitzke had an RBI double in the fifth to close the gap to 8-4.
BYU responded with a five-run sixth inning to make it 13-4 and end the game.