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The University of Utah Athletics
Utes Prepare for Mid-Week Action against Utah State
4/14/2008 12:00 AM | Softball
April 14, 2008
SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah softball team takes a break from conference play to battle in-state foe Utah State in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, April 15. The game is a prelude to a pair of games against rival BYU on Friday and Saturday, April 18-19.
Weekend in Review
Utah had a stellar weekend against some tough competition on the road, splitting a pair of games against No. 18 San Diego State and sweeping UNLV.
After dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker to the Aztecs, the Utes earned a 1-0 victory in game two behind the arm of pitcher Ashley Smuda, who one-hit SDSU. Utah scored the only run of the game in the fourth inning on Kristie Keller and Andrea Hoffman's back-to-back hits.
Against UNLV, Utah won on Friday, 4-3, before Smuda stepped up again to throw a no-hitter in Saturday's 4-0 victory. It was her second no-hitter of the year.
Smuda was 2-0 with one save on the weekend, allowing one hit in 15.2 innings with 15 strikeouts.
Devina Quintero hit .538 on the weekend, with two doubles and a home run on seven hits. Diana Phillips had eight hits on .533 hitting.
Scouting the Competition
Utah State (11-24): The Utes and Aggies will be meeting for the second time this season. The squads split a doubleheader on March 26, with Utah State winning game one, 3-1, before the Utes came back in the nightcap for a 9-4 win.
Kelley Kaneshiro leads the Aggies with a .386 batting average, seven doubles, seven home runs and 22 runs scored. Kayla Dunn is batting .370 with six doubles and three home runs. Emily Reilly (.324), Amy Schiable (.310) and Aubrie Stroman (.306) are also batting above .300. Nicole Rupp has a team-best nine stolen bases on the season.
In the circle, Lindsey Benson is 10-17 with 105 strikeouts and a 4.77 ERA.
Downing Ranked Teams
Utah has defeated three ranked teams this season. The Utes beat then-No. 22 Texas, 5-4, on Feb. 29, while downing No. 14 DePaul, 3-2, on March 20. In conference play, Utah one-hit No. 18 San Diego State in a 1-0 win on April 10.
Stunning Smuda
Sophomore pitcher Ashley Smuda has pitched two no-hitters this season. She pitched her first career no-hitter against Southern Utah on March 11. She had seven strikeouts in the five-inning 8-0 victory. She is the first pitcher to pitch two no-hitters in a season since Ali Andrus-Sagas in 1997. Andrus-Sagas had three that year.
Against UNLV on April 12, Smuda pitched the 21st no-hitter in school history in a 4-0 victory. She had five strikeouts.
Smuda has appeared in 32 of the Utes 41 games this season. In addition to the two no-hitters, she led the Utes to wins against No. 14 DePaul, 3-2, and a 5-4 victory over then-No. 22 Texas.
Smuda ranks first in the conference in batters struck out looking (47) and is second in wins (14) and games started (27).
Phillips Watch
All-West Region and three-time all-Mountain West Conference selection Diana Phillips is nearing several career marks at Utah. She has 14 career triples (three this season) and ranks second all-time at Utah in the category. The all-time triples record is 19, held by Sandy Rhea (1995-98).
Her current .363 career batting average is second all-time.
Phillips has 231 total hits, which ties her for fifth on the all-time list at Utah with Cyndee Bennett (1994-97'). She is also nearing the top-10 with 43 career stolen bases.
Phillips leads the MWC with .400 batting average and 52 hits. She also leads the team with 17 multi-hit games. Her longest hitting streak this year is nine games. Her 15 stolen bases is fourth in the conference, just behind teammate Kelly Matthews.
Fantastic Foster
Kara Foster added to her team-leading 13 home runs with a round-tripper against UNLV. She is tied for second in the conference in the category. Foster is second on the team with a .339 batting average and has a team-best 30 RBI on the year. Nearly half of her 40 hits on the season have been for extra bases. She ranks second in the conference with a .729 slugging percentage and her 30 RBI also ranks second.
She was named MWC Player of the Week on April 8 for her performance against Colorado State and New Mexico.
Players Mentioned
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IF
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UT
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