Softball Lashes Back at Cougars

Saturday, April 22

Salt Lake City

2:00 PM

University of Utah

BYU

4/22/2006 12:00 AM | Softball

April 22, 2006

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

SALT LAKE CITY - What started out as a pitcher's duel quickly turned into a massive offensive display when the University of Utah softball team (28-13, 7-3 Mountain West) exploded for six runs in the fourth inning of game one. It would spark a 19-hit, 15-run day for the Utes who swept a pair of conference victories from Brigham Young (31-16, 8-4) this afternoon, 8-5 and 7-2, respectively.

It was Andrea Hoffman, Jackie Wong and Jessica Shiery who led the potent offense over the twinbill. The trio combined for 12 of the team's 19 hits. Hoffman's 4-for-6 (.667) effort was tops while Wong was 4-for-7 and Shirey 4-for-8. Wong and Devina Quintero belted in four RBI apiece. All four of Quintero's came off of her grand-slam home run in the nightcap.

Meghan Dyer got the start in game one and improved to 12-5 on the year. She went 4.2 innings and struck out eight Cougar batters, walking only two. Dyer scattered six BYU hits and allowed four earned runs. Karina Cannon came on in relief in the fifth inning to pick up her fourth save of the year.

Cannon also got the nod in the nightcap. She improved to 13-5 for the year. She allowed five BYU hits and both runs were unearned.

The Utes return to action again on Sunday afternoon. They will battle San Jose State at Ute Field with first pitch set for noon.

Utah 8, BYU 5
Utah belted six of its 10 hits in the fourth inning and exploded for six runs in holding on for the 8-5 win over BYU in the first game of the conference doubleheader.

Dyer had kept the usually powerful BYU offense on its heels for the first 3.1 innings. She had a no-hitter during that span and went on to fan six of the first 10 Cougar batters. Dyer finished retiring eight BYU batsmen herself.

Utah, which only had one hit through the first three innings, smashed the ball around the park in the fourth. The Utes benefited from Hoffman's two-RBI single and Wong's two-RBI triple to build a 4-0 lead. Run-plating singles by Hoffman and Staci Hemingway gave the Utes all they needed for the game-one victory.

Hoffman and Wong combined to tally the team's final RBI in the fifth. Hoffman added an RBI to the stat column on her run-scoring double while Wong tallied an RBI single to make it 8-4.

The Cougars tried to rally. BYU cut the lead to two, thanks to a four-run fifth and Emi Snow's two-run homer. The Cougars still trailed 6-4 after 4.5 innings, but had cut the six-run lead to two.

BYU's Paige Paramore had a solo homer in the seventh to make it 8-5, but that was all the Cougars had in the tank for the game.

Summer Tobias is tagged with loss. She surrendered nine hits to the Utes, and allowed eight runs (only five of which were earned).

Utah 7, BYU 2
A grand-slam home run by Quintero spelled doom for the visiting Cougars in game two.

With Utah holding a 3-1 lead after 3.5 innings, Quintero's fourth homer of the year put it completely out of reach. With the bases loaded, she parked one on the other side of the left-field fence to make it 7-1 in favor of the home team.

Utah had spotted BYU a one-run lead in the second inning, conceding a run on Jodi Norton's shot that went all the way to the fence in right field. It could've been a two-run single, but a keen relay from Shiery to Wong to Hoffman pegged would-be socerer Paramore at the plate. The play at the home ended the inning.

The Utes responded in the bottom half of the frame with a three-run at bat. Utah got its first three batters on board as BYU's Daniella Urincho hit two batters (Ivette Hernandez and Hoffman) and walked Meghan Crouse. The top of Utah's lineup did the rest. Jackie Wong drew a bases-loaded walk for the first run and Diana Phillips' two-run double down the left-field line plated another two runs to give Utah the 3-1 lead.

Urincho took the loss for the visitors. She went all six innings and gave up seven hits and seven earned runs.