BYU Box Score : Season Stats
Orem, UT- Senior day turned out to be a memorable one for the Utah Valley State softball team. On Tuesday, the Wolverines earned their first ever win over BYU, winning 3-1. The win upped Utah Valley-??s record to 15-34 while BYU dropped to 36-18.
-??This lets the girls know we can win these games,-?? Utah Valley State coach Todd Fairbourne said. -??This is a good win against a very good hitting team. Before the game I said -??Lets send our seniors off on a good note and why not today to get our first win over BYU.-??-??
It was senior Rachel Hartgrove and junior pitcher Jackie Roberts who were the heroes for the Wolverines.
Hartgrove hit a two-run homerun over the left-center fence in the first inning and Roberts tossed a four-hit complete game and struck out two batters. Roberts had a no-hitter going through three and 2/3 innings.
-??Jackie threw one heck of a game,-?? Fairbourne said. -??She hit her spot 90-95 percent of the time and pitched ahead of the count.-??
Hartgrove finished the game two for three and beating BYU on her last home game meant a lot for the f our-year Wolverine senior.
-??It feels good to go out on top,-?? she said. -??With it being senior day I was having a hard time before the game but I knew I had to keep my composure. I really wanted to beat BYU for once. It is hard to describe the feeling right now.-??
It was also the final home game for Emily Zupan and Chris Jimenez. Zupan finished the day two for three and Jimenez came up with several nice defensive plays in left field. For the game the Wolverines had seven hits.
Utah Valley jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning after a single by Cari Hamilton and a two-run homerun by Hartgrove.
The Wolverines manufactured another run in the fourth inning. Zupan started the inning with a single up the middle and Laurin Eppich then reached base on a bunt. Sara Roskelley followed by sacrificing the runners to second and third. Roberts then grounded out to second but Lindsey Phelps, who was pinch running for Zupan, was able to score on the play.
BYU put a scare into the Wolverins in the fifth inning when they scored one run and had the bases loaded with two outs. But with two outs Roberts forced BYU-??s top hitter Ianeta Le-??I to ground out into a fielders choice to end the inning. The play also ended Le-??I-??s 21-game hitting streak.
The Wolverines close out their season tomorrow at 3 p.m. with a doubleheader at the University of Utah.
