OGDEN, Utah – The Utah Valley University softball team dropped both ends of an in-state doubleheader to Weber State, 5-3 and 8-6, on Tuesday afternoon at Wildcat Softball Field.
 
The Wolverines (5-26) attempted a late comeback in both contests, but each fell just short as the Wildcats (23-12) managed to hold on to a pair of two-run non-conference victories.
 
"Today was hard fought in both games and the girls showed a tremendous amount of heart," UVU head coach Nikki Palmer said. "I am excited to see this carry over into the weekend."
 
The Wildcats were the first to get on the board in the opening game, as they pushed home a run in the first and another in the second to take an early 2-0 advantage. WSU loaded the bases with nobody out in each inning, but UVU did a nice job of limiting the damage by allowing just one run to come home in each frame. 
 
The Wolverines then responded with a three-run third to take a 3-2 lead. Brittney Vansway and Taleigh Williams delivered the big hits in the inning, as they came through with back-to-back two-out RBI hits to give UVU the lead. Vansway started the scoring with an RBI infield single while Williams followed with a two-run double to left.
 
The lead was short lived however, as WSU struck back with two unearned runs in the last of the third to regain the lead at 4-3. The Wildcats then pushed home another run in the fourth on a wild pitch to extend their advantage to 5-3.
 
With Weber State still holding to the 5-3 lead in the seventh, UVU threatened as it got the tying runners on base with two away. With Brianna Gatlin on second and Dana De La Torre on first, Vansway then drove a ball to deep left field but WSU's Carley White managed to race back and make the catch just in front of the wall for the final out of the ballgame.
 
Williams paced the Wolverine offense in the game by going 1-for-3 with a two-RBI double, while Krystin Kubo led the Wildcats with a 1-for-2 performance and an RBI.
 
Kirtlyn Bohling (14-3) earned the win for Weber State after going the distance in game one and allowing just three runs on six hits while Kelsey Ensign (0-2) was tagged with the loss in relief for UVU.
 
In the nightcap of the twin bill, the Wildcats once again took an early lead thanks to three runs in the first and two more in the second. UVU fought back with a run of its own in the third when Gatlin doubled and later scored on a Weber State miscue to make it a 5-1 contest.
 
WSU later answered with two more runs in the bottom of the third and another in the fourth to extend its advantage to 8-1. The Wolverines then struck back with a pair of runs in the fifth to make it an 8-3 game. Vansway drove home the first run of the frame with an RBI double to center, while Kori Barrios came home to score the second on a wild pitch.
 
With Weber State still holding to a five-run cushion in the seventh, UVU attempted another comeback when Tiani Hensley blasted out a two-out, three-run home run to pull within two at 8-6. With the tying run in the on-deck circle, WSU's Bailey Seek then managed to pop-up Jaymee Lawton for the final out of the ballgame to preserve the win for the Wildcats.
 
Hensley led UVU in game two by going 2-for-3 with three runs batted in, a run scored and a walk, while Aubrey Whitmer paced Weber State with a 3-for-4 outing.
 
Tatiana Su'esu'e (2-1) earned the win in the circle for WSU in the nightcap by giving up just two runs in four innings of work while Bailey Moore (3-15) suffered the loss after allowing five runs in a 1.1 innings.
 
UVU will now return home to resume Western Athletic Conference play this weekend when New Mexico State comes to town for a three-game series. In a change due to rain on the horizon this weekend, the Wolverines and Aggies will now open play with a doubleheader on Friday (12 and 2 p.m.) before concluding the series with a single game on Saturday at noon.