May 15, 2011
Box Score
VERMILLION, S.D. - Josi Summers pitched a two-hit shutout for Utah Valley Sunday in the Great West Conference Tournament opener against North Dakota. With the 5-0 win over the Fighting Sioux (17-34), the Wolverines (20-28) will now play the top-seeded Houston Baptist Huskies tonight at 5:30 p.m. MT/6:30 p.m. CT.
The winner of tonight's semifinal game will advance to Monday's championship while the loser will have to come back through the consolation bracket Monday morning.
"Josi was dominant for us today," UVU head coach Todd Fairbourne said. "She really controlled the game and I hope that she'll be able to keep it up for the rest of the tournament."
With UVU on top on the scoreboard 4-0 midway through the game the attention turned to Summers who had a perfect game going through the first five innings.
In the sixth, Summers continued right where she had left off by drawing UND's Amanda Johnson to lineout to her shortstop Samantha Telarroja for the first out. With just five outs to go the next batter Maggie O'Neal broke up the perfect game and the no hitter with a single into left field. The hit didn't rattle the determined Summers as she battled back by striking out the next two batters.
UND's Cami Bennett then started off the seventh by doubling off of Summers for the Fighting Sioux's second hit of the contest. Summers preserved the complete game shutout however by retiring the next three batters in order.
Summers struck out seven and didn't walk a batter in the dominant complete game outing. The shutout was Summers' second of the year, while the complete game was her 19 of the season. With the win she improved to 14-14. The 14 wins is a new UVU single-season record, as it broke Alli Bramwell's 2008 mark of 13.
The Wolverines scored their first two runs of the game in the second when they took advantage of two Fighting Sioux errors in the frame. Following a leadoff single from Amanda Perez, Mairaea Tanielu reached on the first error in the inning. A couple batters later Kyli Flanary delivered an RBI single through the left side. Mandy Tapia then drove home Flanary with an RBI single to right.
The next inning UVU extended its lead to 3-0 when Perez doubled home Amanda Robinson who had previously singled in the third.
The designated player Flanary then came through again offensively for the Wolverines in the fourth by leading off the inning with a solo home run to left center field.
The Wolverines then scored their fifth run of the game in the bottom of the sixth when Telarroja blasted her fifth home run of the year to left center.
Flanary led UVU offensively by going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Tapia, Robinson and Perez too each went 2-for-3 in the game.
UVU will now turn its attention to its game tonight against Houston Baptist. Earlier on Sunday HBU shut out host-South Dakota 3-0.
