Softball Eliminated From MWC Tournament

Friday, May 13

San Diego, Calif.

3:00 PM

University of Utah

Colorado State - MWC Tournament

5/13/2005 12:00 AM | Softball

May 13, 2005

Box Score

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The No. 4 seeded University of Utah softball team saw its season end as the third-seeded Colorado State Rams knocked the Utes out with a 3-2 win in the double-elimination Mountain West Conference Tournament.

Utah, which lost to Brigham Young yesterday, 6-1, falls to 21-29 for the year. The Rams advance to the semifinals to play the No. 2 seed, UNLV, tonight at 7 p.m. The Rams improve to 30-21.

Lindsie Nielsen got the start in the circle for Utah and tossed five solid innings of shut-out ball. But, the Ram offense came alive in the sixth and rallied from the 2-0 deficit to claim the one-run tournament win. Nielsen went 5.1 innings, allowed seven hits and all three runs in taking the loss. Brianna Gourdin came on in relief and finished off the last two batters.

The Utes chased off CSU starter Genevieve Kelly after two innings of work. Utah tapped the starter for two runs and four hits before she was replaced by CSU's designated player and No. 1 pitcher, Jessica Strickland. She held Utah to two hits in five innings pitched.

The top of the order each recorded a hit for Utah as five different Utes got a hit. Diana Phillips was 2-for-4 while Devina Quintero and Phillips had Utah's RBI.

The game was delayed for over an hour due to a marathon game between San Diego State and New Mexico. The Lobos eeked out a 3-2 win in 13 innings.

The Utah offense came out hitting on all cylinders as it had people in scoring position in three of the first four innings. The Utes capitalized on that in each of the first two frames.

Quintero made sure that the Utes struck first. In the top half of the first inning, the Utes had runners on the corners with one out. Quintero hit a shot with eyes between the shortstop and third baseman. Wong scored and the Utes had a 1-0 lead.

Utah struck again in the second, this time thanks in part in Phillips. With runners on first and second, Phillips hit a blooper to the gap in right-center. Meghan Crouse cruised home from second and made 2-0 for the Utes after two innings.

The Rams tried to put a run on the board in their half of the fourth. With Strickland sitting on second, Lauren Cusick hit a single to the gap in shallow right field. Phillips got it and came up gunning. She relayed it to catcher Bryanne Durrence who pegged the would-be scorer at the plate.

But, Cusick would get her RBI and then some. In the sixth, Cusick stepped in with runners on first and second. She hit a triple that hugged the right field line and went all the way to the fence. Both Strickland and Rachelle Padaway would score to knot the game at 2-2. Cusick crossed the plate in the next at-bet when Julia Kloppe singled to left, giving the Rams their first lead of the day and the game-winning RBI, 3-2..