Utah Softball Falls to Northern Iowa, 9-6

Sunday, March 14

Norman, Okla.

10:00 AM

University of Utah

Northern Iowa

3/14/2010 12:00 AM | Softball

March 14, 2010

Box Score

NORMAN, Okla. - Freshman shortstop Kelsi Hoopiiaina and junior right fielder Jasey Jensen combined to go 5-for-6 with three RBI at the plate but the University of Utah softball team sustained a 9-6 loss to Northern Iowa Sunday in its final game of the Oklahoma Spring Festival at Marita Haynes Field.

Utah (10-10) had five different players register hits, led by Hoopiiaiana, who was 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and two singles. Jensen was 2-foro-3 with a pair of RBI on a triple and a double.

Junior Brittany Parker got the start and fell to 0-3 in her 11th appearance of the season.

Utah got off to a quick start with three on runs on four hits in its first at-bat of the game. Kara Foster led off the game with a single to right field then took second after a Panther fielding error. Brooke Olson then moved Foster to third base via a sacrifice bunt before Hoopiiaina slapped an RBI single to center field. Jensen drove in the second run of the frame with a triple in the left-center field gap and would eventually score on a UNI passed ball.

The Utes have scored in the first inning 16 times in 20 games this season and have been the first team to score in15 of those games.

Northern Iowa got one run back in their half of the first inning when Mackenzie Daigh drew a walk and later scored after a Ute fielding error. The Panthers then took the lead for the first time, at 6-3, with five runs in the bottom of the third inning before adding an additional run in the fourth.

Olson led off the fifth inning for Utah by reaching on an error by the Panther shortstop. Jensen came up with a one-out double on a 1-1 pitch to drive Olson in for the Utes' fourth run of the contest. Hannah Clements followed with the second consecutive double to push Jensen across the plate and to make the score 7-5. The Panthers managed to tack on two more runs in their half of the fifth inning.

In the seventh inning, Hoopiiaina and Jensen both drew walks then were moved over by a ground ball hit by Clements. Palauni came up with a one-out RBI single to right field to drive in Hoopiiaina for Utah's sixth run.

The Utes will head to Fullerton, Calif., next weekend for the Judi Garman Classic, beginning Thursday at 1:30 p.m. PT against No. 12/9 Oklahoma.