Utah Softball Splits at FGCU Spring Break Tournament

Saturday, March 10

Ft. Meyers, Fla.

6:00 PM

University of Utah

Howard

Utah Softball Splits at FGCU Spring Break Tournament

3/10/2012 12:00 AM | Softball

March 10, 2012

Box Score

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Junior shortstop Kelsi Hoopiiaina hit a grand slam in the first game of the day as the University of Utah softball team beat Howard (5-1) and lost to Stony Brook (1-0 in eight innings) Saturday at the Florida Gulf Coast Spring Break Tournament.

With a second straight 1-1 day in Fort Myers, Utah is now 17-5 overall this season.

Hoopiiaina has hit four round-trippers this season and 12 during her career. She is now second on the team with 15 RBI and has driven in 65 runs over her career.

Senior right-hander Generra Nielson took the decision in both contests and threw 10.2 innings in the circle in the two games. The Blanding, Utah native allowed only one earned run on eight hits, while striking out 12 and walking only one. She is now 12-4 this season and 33-16 during her career as a Ute.

Utah def. Howard, 5-1

In her first career start, freshman Mariah Ramirez pitched the first four innings and allowed one earned run on three hits to go with five strikeouts. Nielson came on to throw the final three innings and did not allow a run on three hits with only one walk. Nielson took the first two at-bats of her career in the fifth and sixth innings.

Hoopiiaina came up with two hits in three at-bats with four runs driven in, while freshman outfielder Kate Dickman also came up with an RBI single

After three scoreless innings, the Bison got on the board first in the top of fourth frame, beginning with a leadoff double by Lorae Robinson. Rebecca Kirschner then knocked an RBI single past Holm that allowed Robinson to give Howard a 1-0 advantage.

Hoopiiaina cracked a grand slam over the left-center field fence off a 1-1 delivery to put Utah ahead 4-1. The Riverton, Utah native now has hit four home runs and 12 over her career. She has driven in 15 runs this season, which ranks second on the team, and now has 65 RBI over her career. Dickman followed Hoopiiaina's grand slam with a double to the right-center field gap. Dickman then plated Utah's fifth run of the inning after senior third baseman Whitney Holm ripped another double down the left-field line. Holm has driven in 28 runs this season and 117 over her career.

Stony Brook def. Utah, 1-0 (8 innings)

In her 18th start of the season, Nielson went 7.2 innings and did not allow an earned run. She yielded five hits to the Seawolves, while striking out seven and did not issue a walk. This was her ninth complete-game effort of the season.

Three different Utes, Joni Cook, Shay Wallace and Dickman, each registered hits for the Utes off Stony Brook pitching.

Neither team had a hit through the first 2.5 innings, but Utah did put together a threat to break the lid on the scoring in the fifth frame, starting when Jackie Sweet drew a one-out walk and Wallace knocked a base hit to right-center field that allowed Sweet to take third base. Unfortunately, Sweet was thrown out at home plate after a ground ball to first base to eliminate the Ute threat.

With the international tiebreaker in effect at the beginning of the eighth, Hannah Clements entered the game as a pinch runner on second base. She advanced to third after a bunt laid down by Chalese Fankhauser, but the Utes were unable to push a run across after a pair of strikeouts.

Stony Brook finally scored in the bottom of the eighth to hand Utah a loss in its first extra-inning game of the season.

The Utes will have Sunday off before a doubleheader against Colgate on Monday, starting at 10 a.m. ET.