Utah Softball Sweeps Southern Utah

Wednesday, March 9

St. George, Utah

3:00 PM

University of Utah

Southern Utah

3/9/2011 12:00 AM | Softball

March 9, 2011

Box Score

ST. GEORGE, Utah - Senior catcher Brooke Olson went 6-for-8 on the day to go with four RBI and the University of Utah softball team defeated Southern Utah twice, 5-3 and 10-1, Wednesday at Karl Brooks Field on the campus of Dixie State College.

Utah (10-13) outscored Southern Utah, 15-4, on the day and held a 23-10 advantage in hits.

Olson also hit a double and a home run for a 1.250 slugging percentage. Chalese Fankhauser went 4-for-7 with four runs scored, including a pair of home runs.

Ute starting pitchers turned in a pair of complete games as Generra Nielson took the victory in game one and Naomi Amu picked up the win in the second game.

Game 1: Utah def. Southern Utah, 5-3

In the first game, Olson was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a pair of RBI, while Fankhauser went 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored.

Nielson threw her fifth complete game of the season, allowing two earned runs on six hits with 11 strikeouts and only one walk. She improved to 8-9 this season with the victory.

Utah scored three runs in its first at-bat as Tara Glover and Fankhauser led off with bunt singles then Glover was able to score after a throwing error by the T-Bird first baseman. Palauni then smacked a double to left-center field to put runners on first and third. Olson continued the timely hitting with a two-RBI single back up the middle of the SUU defense to put Utah up 3-0.

The Thunderbirds got one run back in the first thanks to a pair of Ute throwing errors.

The Utes scored the go-ahead run in the third when Fankhauser drew a leadoff walk and stole second base. Cheyella Myers hit a single then an errant SUU throw allowed Fankhauser to cross home plate.

Fankhauser's third home run of the season gave Utah an insurance run in the top of the seventh.

Southern Utah tallied a pair of runs in the final frame of the game, but Utah was able to prevail with a 5-3 victory.

Game 2: Utah def. Utah Southern, 10-1

The Ute offense was going early in often in the second game. Four different Utes were credited with multiple hits.

Myers was 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Whitney Holm cranked a pair of home runs for three RBI in Utah's 10-1 win in game two.

Olson and Kelsi Hoopiiaina also contributed two hits apiece.

On the mound, Amu claimed her second victory of the season after going 7.0 innings and allowing only one earned run on four hits with six strikeouts and did not yield a walk.

In the first inning, Tia Palauni reached base on a two-out error by SUU. Kayla Ensminger entered the game as a pinch runner and stole second base then scored after a single up the middle by Myers.

The Utes scored twice more in the second inning, beginning with consecutive one-out errors by the Thunderbirds. Hoopiiaina then dropped a bunt single that allowed Hannah Clements to score an unearned run. Glover then rolled an RBI ground ball to Southern Utah's shortstop for Utah's fourth run of the game.

Glover led off the fifth inning with a single and Fankhauser was able to lay down a sacrifice bunt to move Glover into scoring position. Myers came up with another RBI single for Utah's fifth score.

Southern Utah was able to cut into its deficit with a run in the sixth, but Utah tacked on five more runs in its seventh at-bat which were all produced by home runs, including a leadoff home run by Fankhauser, and separate two-run homers by Olson and Holm to set the final margin at 10-1 in favor of Utah.

With Friday's home game against Utah Valley postponed until Tuesday, April 5 (4 p.m.), Utah won't compete again until March 18-20 at the University of Maryland Tournament where the Utes will take on Villanova, Hampton, Maryland and Princeton.