Box Score : Season Stats

SALT LAKE CITY , Utah - All year the Utah Valley State softball team has shown the ability to hang with quality teams. A day after losing to No. 20 Washington 6-0, the Wolverines closed out their season with a tough 5-4 loss at Utah on Friday.

The game was originally scheduled to be a doubleheader but for the second straight day rain caused the second game to be canceled. The rain has forced Utah Valley State to miss eight games this year.

The loss meant that in the Wolverines finished the season 13-36-1 in their first year with a complete Division I schedule.

-??This was certainly a learning experience,-?? Utah Valley coach Todd Fairbourne said. -??It was for me and I assume it was for the girls as well. The girls went out and battled and hung in there. I was happy.-??

In Kelli Wilkins final day as a Wolverine she led the offensive attack with three hits and two RBI. She also scored two of the four runs.

-??I think she is the most improved player on the team in every aspect,-?? Fairbourne said. -??She just really stepped it up.-??

Although Utah Valley never led they never backed down from the Utes. Utah jumped out to a 2-0 in the first inning. The Wolverines tied the game at 2-2 in the third inning. Ericka Jones opened the inning with a double to right field. Then with two outs Wilkins drove in Jones on an infield single. Wilkins then scored off a double by Chris Jimenez down the left field line.

Utah countered the Utah Valley State rally with a run in the bottom half of the inning on a solo homerun by Devina Quintero. In the fourth inning Ivette Hernandez hit a two-run homerun over the left field fence to up the Ute lead to 5-2.

In the fifth inning the Wolverines cut the Utah lead to 5-3 when Wilkins scored a run off an Amanda Kendzior single. In the sixth inning Jones hit a one-out double to left field and later scored on a single by Wilkins.

Utah pitcher Brianna Gourdin earned the save by shutting down the Wolverines in the seventh inning.

Fairbourne added that he was pleased with how pitcher Jackie Roberts finished the game. After giving up seven hits in the first three innings, Roberts allowed only three over the final three innings.

-??I felt like she pitched very well the last three innings,-?? Fairbourne said.