Feb. 13, 2010

Box Score

ST. GOERGE - The Utah Valley University softball team concluded the Red Desert Classic in St. George Saturday with a 10-4 victory over Idaho State and a narrow 4-3 loss to UC Santa Barbara.

Friday, the Wolverines (2-2) beat Maine 10-8 on a three-run walk-off homer by Kyli Flanary before losing to San Jose State, 7-3.

"The girls played well. It was our first time out," UVU head coach Todd Fairbourne said. "I'm happy with how we played. My expectations are every bit as high as when the season started."

Freshman right-hander Heather Bacon picked up her first win of the year by scattering 12 hits and striking out nine in 6 2/3 innings against the Bengals.

Offensively, she got help from Charlee Cisneros, Amber Sackett and Shaylyn Varney, who had two RBIs each.

The Wolverines scored three runs in the bottom of the first and added another in the second to lead 4-1, and then broke the game open with six runs in the fourth. Cherylyn McGraw drove in a pair of runs in the inning, while Sackett and Varney drove in one each in the frame.

Meghan Woodworth, Cisneros and Megan Gardner, the first three hitters for the Wolverines, scored two runs each in the contest.

In the loss to Santa Barbara, the Wolverines gave up three runs in the bottom of the first inning and couldn't recover. UVU trailed 4-0 after three innings before scoring two in the fourth on a two-run single by Flanary.

"Even though we lost, that was our most complete game of the tournament - pitching, hitting and fielding," Fairbourne said.

The Wolverines scored a run in the seventh on a pinch-hit single by Varney, who went 3-for-3 on the day.

Utah Valley is back in action on Feb. 27-28 when they play a four-game series at Cal State Bakersfield.