May 8, 2007
Box Score
Orem, UT- The Utah Valley softball team battled Mountain West Conference leader BYU tough despite losing 6-3 on Senior Day. The Wolverines had the tying run at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the seventh but a game-ending ground-out to second base sealed the win for the Cougars.
BYU upped its record to 38-17 while the Wolverines finished the season with a 23-29 mark, their best in school history.
"I don't like losing but I thought we played solid, put in a nice performance and battled them," Utah Valley State coach Todd Fairbourne said. "It was a strong end to the season despite the loss."
Tuesday was the final game for seniors Jackie Roberts and Cari Hamilton. Both players ended their career in fine fashion, playing one of their best games of the season.
Roberts struck out four, walked only one batter and scattered seven hits. Only two of the six runs BYU scored were earned. She also went 1-for-2 from the plate.
Hamilton made several diving catches in centerfield and went 2-for-3 at the plate, scoring one run.
"These were two of their finest performances," Fairbourne said. "Six runs does not spell how well Jackie pitched today. She was superb. That was the best Cari's played defensively all year. She was great. They are going to be missed, both of them."
Cheryl McGraw added two hits and one RBI. UV and BYU both had seven hits in the game.
One mistake in the first inning cost the Wolverines four runs. After Roberts retired the first two batters, Jodi Norton walked and Emi Snow singled to left field. Andrea Ramirez then reached on a Wolverine fielding error to load the bases. Daniela Urincho-Snow then blasted a grand slam to give the Cougars a 4-0 lead.
"I thought we played pretty well," Fairbourne said. "When you step the competition up you have to make plays. The reality is you don't make a routine ball at third and that results into a four-run homerun. They shouldn't have had any of those runs."
UV responded in the bottom half of the inning by scoring two runs. Jasmine Joyce led the inning off with a walk and Hamilton followed with a single to left. McGraw platted Joyce on a single to right field. Hamilton later scored on a double steal with two outs.
BYU took a 6-2 lead in the fifth on an RBI double by Emi Snow and a sacrifice fly by Ramirez.
UV rallied in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a BYU error. With two outs, McGraw reached a single that fell just over the BYU shortstop. Heidi Boyer then lined what looked to be the game-ending out to left field, but the ball bounced off the glove of Jennifer Whiteley, allowing McGraw to score. Jamie Tonis followed Boyer by singling to left-center but the game ended when Lindsay Dyer grounded out to second.
