March 30, 2010
Box Score
OREM, Utah - Utah Valley tied a school record with four home runs and Megan Gardner tied a school record with four hits in the Wolverines' 13-4 victory over Utah State in the second game of a doubleheader to complete the sweep over the Aggies Tuesday.
UVU's Amber Sackett belted a walk-off grand slam homer in the bottom of the fifth in leading the Wolverines to the blow-out victory.
"The girls played well. They answered every Utah State challenge," UVU softball coach Todd Fairbourne said. "We hit the ball hard today - all day - and when the wind switched directions (blowing out) I knew it wouldn't hurt our chances."
Gardner, who led the NJCAA with 24 homers last year at the College of Southern Idaho, got UVU's homerfest rolling in the second game with a three-run bomb in the first inning. Three hitters later, Amanda Perez blasted a two-run dinger to give the Wolverines the 5-0 lead.
After the Aggies (12-15), who beat No. 1 Washington earlier in the year, cut the lead to 5-2 in the third, Jessica Anderson singled home a run before Meghan Woodworth belted a three-run homer to increase the Wolverines' lead to 9-2.
The Aggies plated two more runs in the fourth to whittle the lead to 9-4, but Sackett's granny in the fifth ended the contest.
Behind Gardner's four hits and three RBIs, Mandy Tapia had three hits, while Sackett and Perez had two hits each.
Kyli Flanary evened her record to 6-6 by allowed two earned runs (four total) on five hits.
Earlier in the day, the Wolverines managed just five hits, but it was enough to post a 3-1 victory over the Aggies.
Utah State got on the board first with a run in the top of the first, but the Wolverines answered with two in the bottom of the inning on RBI singles by Gardner and Cherylyn McGraw to take the lead for good at 2-1.
For good measure, the Wolverines added a run in the sixth on a double by Anderson, scoring McGraw, who reached on an error.
Jessica Martin came in in relief and threw 3.2 innings to earn her third victory of the season.
With the victories, the Aggies have won seven of their last eight games in upping their record to 12-15. At the halfway point of the season, the Wolverines are just four wins shy of their win total from last year.
"I am proud of them because they have learned how to win and they are winning against better and better teams," Fairbourne said.
The Wolverines are back in action Saturday when they meet Utah in Salt Lake City in a doubleheader beginning at noon.
