Orem, UT - Utah Valley State coach Todd Fairbourne has told him that in order to have success the bottom of the order is going to have to produce. In the first game of a doubleheader with Harvard, Fairbourne saw that production from his line up as the bottom half of the order propelled the Wolverines to an eight inning 3-2 victory on Monday. Utah Valley lost the second game 12-4.
-??I am happy with the win,-?? Utah Valley State coach Todd Fairbourne said. -??What was even nicer was that someone below the top of the order came through for us. For us to score and keep pace the bottom half of the order has to do something.-??
Utah Valley had eight hits in the eight inning win and six came from hitters in the five through nine spot. Jackie Roberts had two hits while Forsyth, Kaylie Neal, Laurin Eppich and Emily Zupan all had one hit.
Roberts earned the win by pitching an eight hit, five strikeout complete game.
With one out and the score tied at two in the bottom of the eighth inning Neal beat out an infield single hit to the short stop. Eppich then followed with a single to right field. One batter later Forsyth nailed another single to right field to give Utah Valley its seventh win of the season.
Harvard opened the game by taking a 1-0 lead in the third inning. The Wolverines rallied in the bottom half of the inning to take a 2-1 lead. Chris Jimenez opened the inning with a single and was then moved to second on a sacrifice by Cari Hamilton. Jimenez advanced to third later in the stanza and scored when Heidi Boyer reached base on a Harvard error. Roberts then singled home Boyer to give UV the 2-1 lead.
Harvard tied the game at two in the sixth and had a chance to take the lead in the seventh when they had runners on second and third with two outs. But Rachel Hartgrove saved the game for the Wolverines when she made a diving over the shoulder catch to end the inning and get the Wolverines out the jam.
In the second game, Utah Valley fell behind 6-0 after the top of the fourth inning. The Wolverines scored its first run in the fourth inning when Neal singled home Hartgrove on a single to left-center field.
In the fifth inning Hartgrove hit a three-run homerun to cut the Harvard lead to 6-4. In the final two innings the Crimson scored six runs to seal the win.
Neal and Hartgrove each had two hits for the Wolverines in the loss.
Utah Valley State plays in a tournament hosted by the University of Nevada this weekend.
