Utah Softball Run-Rules Idaho State, 10-2

Thursday, March 29

Pocatello, Idaho

4:00 PM

University of Utah

Idaho State

3/29/2012 12:00 AM | Softball

March 29, 2012

Box Score

POCATELLO, Idaho - Three different Utes turned in three hits apiece as the University of Utah softball team earned its sixth consecutive non-conference win Thursday at Idaho State in the first-ever game at ISU's Miller Ranch Stadium.

Utah (23-8, 0-3 Pac-12) improved to 23-5 this season in non-conference tilts and is now 3-4 in true road games in 2012. The Utes outhit the Bengals, 12-4, and turned in their sixth error-free effort in their last eight games and are 5-3 in those contests. Utah has not committed an error in 12 games this season and the Utes are 9-3 in those games.

Junior outfielder Katelyn Elliott, junior second baseman Jackie Sweet and senior outfielder Hannah Clements each registered three hits in three at-bats. Elliott now has recorded a hit in each of her last seven games.

Clements drove in four runs, Sweet had a pair of RBI and Elliott also drove in one run. Senior first baseman Tia Palauni also had a hit and an RBI.

In her 25th start of the year, senior Generra Nielson picked up the win and threw 4.0 innings, while allowing two earned runs on four hits to go with three strikeouts and one walk. With three batters struck out, Nielson now has 203 hits this season and eclipsed the 400-strikeout mark for her two-year career at Utah. Nielson has struck out 401 hitters as a Ute and improved to 17-6 in pitching decisions this season and is 38-18 over her career.

The Utes have scored in the first inning 11 times this season and are 9-2 entering this afternoon's contest. Utah has now been the first team to score in 19 games this year and is now 16-3 in those games this season.

Palauni, a Taylorsville, Utah native, opened the scoring with a solo home run to left-center field, her fifth round-tripper of the year and the 22nd of her career. Palauni now has driven in 14 runs this season and has 76 over her career.

Nielson issued a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the second inning to Gabby Lopez then Courtney Dial hit a two-run homer down the left-field line to give the Bengals a 2-1 edge.

The Utes countered with four runs in the top of the third as junior shortstop Kelsi Hoopiiaina drew a leadoff walk and then stole second base. Palauni drew a second consecutive walk before senior third baseman Whitney Holm and Elliott hit back-to-back RBI singles up the middle of the Bengal defense that allowed Hoopiiaina and Palauni to score. Sweet then slapped another single up the middle with one out to plate Elliott and Holm to give Utah a 5-2 edge. Sweet now has 20 RBI this season and 31 over her Utah career.

A leadoff single by Elliott in the top of the fifth, followed by a walk by freshman outfielder Kate Dickman and the Utes loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth when Clements tagged a home run onto the right-field berm and give Utah a 9-2 edge. It was Clements' first round-tripper since the 2010 season and the eighth of her career. Clements has driven in nine runs this season and has been credited with 51 RBI over her career. Holm then knocked a shallow single to left field for an RBI single to push Chalese Fankhauser across the plate and put the run-rule into effect.

Idaho State (3-21, 1-2 PCSC) was led by a 2-for-2, two RBI effort by Courtney Dial.

Utah returns to Ute Softball Field to host No. 16/18 Hawaii on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Gavin McAllister will have the play-by-play call and live stats will be provided by Gametracker at utahutes.com.