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The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Travels to BYU
4/16/2008 12:00 AM | Softball
April 16, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
SALT LAKE CITY - Utah stays in-state to battle BYU on Friday, April 18 and Saturday, April 19. The games mark the first softball contests of the Deseret First Duel rivalry series.
Friday's game will be aired live on BYU-TV, beginning at 7:00 p.m., and re-aired on The Mtn. on Saturday at 5:00 pm.
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 back-to-back hits from Kristie Keller and Andrea Hoffman.
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. She was named MWC Pitcher of the Week for her performance.
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.
Utah was scheduled to play Utah State on April 15, but the doubleheader was canceled due to inclement weather.
Smuda MWC Pitcher of the Week
Ashley Smuda was named Mountain West Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 7-14.
Smuda allowed one hit in 15.2 innings pitched over the weekend. In a 1-0 win against No. 21/18 San Diego State, she pitched a one-hitter, striking out eight batters. She entered the first game against UNLV with the tying run on base and one out in the sixth inning. She got out of the jam, forcing the next two batters into outs. In the second game vs. the Rebels, Smuda earned her second no-hitter of the season, striking out five batters. She becomes the first Utah pitcher since Ali Andrus-Sagas in 1997 to toss two no-hitters in a year.
She shares the MWC honor with BYU pitcher Christina Gwyn-Trice.
Smuda is the second MWC honoree this season. Kara Foster was named Player of the Week on April 8.
Scouting the Competition
BYU (28-14): The Cougars currently lead the MWC with a 5-2 record and have won 12 of their last 14 games. They also have a solid home field advantage, with a 7-1 record at Miller Park.
Daniela Snow (.379) and Angeline Quiocho (.373) lead the team in hitting. Snow has a team-best 36 RBI with 14 doubles and 10 home runs. Quiocho leads the squad with 12 home runs and 10 stolen bases.
On the mound, Christina Trice is 11-5 on the season with a 1.27 ERA and 159 strikeouts. Paige Affleck (1.28 ERA, 9-2) and Christie Zinanti (3.60 ERA, 8-7) are also strong for BYU.
The Cougars play a single game against Utah Valley on Wednesday before taking on the Utes.
Deseret First Duel
Friday's match marks the first softball game of the Deseret First Duel rivalry series between Utah and BYU. The teams play four games during the season and each game is worth 1.5 points.
BYU currently leads the rivalry series, 28-24.5. Utah has wins in soccer, women's basketball (2), women's gymnastics (2), baseball (1) and men's tennis.
The rivalry series includes competition in the 12 sports the two universities compete in head-to-head during regular-season play. The Deseret First Duel will use a system that awards points to the winner of each head-to-head competition. A team trophy will be awarded to the individual winner of each sport. Points won by the individual sports will count toward each school's overall total. At the conclusion of each school year, a granite traveling trophy will be awarded to the overall rivalry series champion.
The Utah vs. BYU rivalry is one of the oldest and strongest in the country. In November 2005, the Wall Street Journal rated the rivalry the fourth best in college athletics.
Players Mentioned
UTL
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IF
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UT
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