Upcoming Event: Softball versus UCSB on February 6, 2026 at 2 p.m.
2 p.m.
Softball
vs UCSB
The University of Utah Athletics
Saturday, May 13
Las Vegas, Nev.
7:05 PM
University of Utah
5
at
4
San Diego State (MWC Championship Game)
Softball Rallies Into NCAA's
5/13/2006 12:00 AM | Softball
May 13, 2006
LAS VEGAS - The long ball served the University of Utah softball team (38-19 overall) well as back-to-back, two-out, sixth-inning homers by Staci Hemingway and Ivette Hernandez erased a 3-0 deficit and lifted the Utes to a 5-4 win. With that, Utah claims the Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 Utah celebrates its tournament championship after its 5-4 win over SDSU tonight.  | |
Along with 30 automatic bids, there will be 34 at-large invitations to the big tourney. The selection show will air on ESPNews on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. (MDT). Sites, times and opponents will be determined after the selection show.
It was a near-miss in the seventh that put Utah up for good. With runners on first and second and two outs, Devina Quintero hit a shot to right field. It looked like it would carry the fence but it bounced off it, good for an RBI double. It scored Meghan Crouse from second.
All five of Utah's runs came with two outs in the respective inning.
 Staci Hemingway's three-run homer in the sixth started a 5-1 rally that lifted Utah to victory. | |
Karina Cannon chalks up her 20th win of the season as she came on in relief to pitch Utah to victory. Meghan Dyer got the start and went five complete innings, giving up three runs, only two of which were earned.
SDSU broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the first. The Aztecs' Chrissie Markham belted a homer over the left-field fence to make it 1-0 for the top-seeded team. It was also the first hit of the game for SDSU.
The conference champs doubled their lead when Markham hit a bloop single to right. It scored Tamani Wells from third whom reached on Devina Quintero's wild throw to first.
Utah threatened in the top of the fourth and sixth innings. The Utes had runners on first and second in each of the innings, but couldn't do anything with it to cut into SDSU's lead.
Well's RBI single in the fifth and Taryin Casillas' RBI double in the sixth accounted for all four Aztec runs.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UT
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