LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Utah Valley University's comeback attempt fell short in a 12-8 setback to No. 4 UMKC in the Western Athletic Conference Softball Tournament on Thursday night in Las Cruces. The two-seeded Wolverines were eliminated from the tournament with the loss, as they previously dropped an 8-5 decision to No. 3 Seattle U earlier in the day. 
 
With the loss, UVU concludes its 2017 season with a 16-24 overall record. Earning the two seed for the tournament, along with tying for third in conference play with a 7-8 league record all mark program highs for Utah Valley since joining the WAC four seasons ago.
 
"I am very proud of this entire group. They showed tremendous fight not only tonight but all season long. They accepted challenges, overcame adversity and persevered through some tough times," head coach TJ Hubbard said. "Today's games do not define what this team was – they competed every pitch, played with passion and worked tirelessly at making their program better."
 
The Roos got off to a strong start by scoring four first-inning runs to jump out to a 4-0 lead. Five UVU walks and an error aided the UMKC rally, as three of the four opening-inning runs came in unearned.
 
With the score still 4-0 in the second, the Wolverines loaded the bases with two away and managed to bring home a run to make it a 4-1 game. After Taylor Miller, Eryn Sustayta and Courtney Beavers reached on a respective fielder's choice, single and a walk, Caragh Morris drew an RBI walk to force home Miller and put the Wolverines on the board.
 
UMKC then answered in the top of the third by driving in six more runs to extend its lead to 10-1. Kelsey Goodwin and Maegan Rollow delivered the big hits in the inning, as they combined to drive home five of the six runs.
 
UVU then countered back by scoring seven of the next nine runs in the ballgame, but it ended up not being enough as Kansas City held on for the victory.
 
Utah Valley started its comeback attempt in the fourth when it loaded the bases and Lyndsay Steverson blasted out a grand slam to deep left to cut the deficit in half and make it a 10-5 game. Steverson's 12th home run of the year drove in Sustayta, Beavers and Morris.
 
The Roos then pushed across another run in the top of the fifth to extend their lead to 11-5, but Kirsten Andersen followed with a fantastic unassisted double play later in the frame to keep it a six-run game. With runners later leading from first and second and just one away, UMKC's Lia Lombardini popped a blooper up towards the second base bag and Andersen made a diving catch and touched second base with her glove all in one motion to double off the runner and end the threat.
 
Following a leadoff walk from Taylor Miller in the last of the fifth, Sustayta then doubled off the rightfield wall to put runners on second and third with nobody out in the inning. Andersen then promptly followed with a double of her own down the leftfield line to drive both Sustayta and pinch runner Abbie Tuttle home and make it an 11-7 contest. UMKC's Alex Larson then came on and retired the top of UVU's lineup in order, however, to keep it a four-run game.
 
Steverson then led off the last of the sixth with a leadoff single and pinch runner Kristy Snyder later came around to score UVU's eighth run of the game on a passed ball to make it 11-8. But UMKC countered with a two-out run of its own in the top of the seventh to extend its lead to 12-8.
 
Utah Valley didn't give up in the last of the seventh, as it threatened once again when Beavers and Morris reached with one away via a respective single and a walk. The threat set the table for the heart of the Wolverine order, but UMKC's Larson managed to retire senior slugger Brittney Vansway and Steverson to end the ballgame.  
 
Steverson led UVU at the plate in the contest by going 3-for-5 with four RBIs and a run scored, while Andersen and Sustayta each went 2-for-3. Goodwin and Rollow led UMKC by each going 4-for-5 in the game.
 
UVU senior right-hander Bailey Moore (2-10) suffered the loss after giving up one earned run (four total) in the first inning, while the Roos' Sara Miller (1-0) recorded her first win of the season after surrendering five earned runs in 4.0 innings of work.
 
Despite being tagged with the loss, Moore concludes her standout four-year career as UVU's all-time leader in total appearances (148), innings pitched (502.0), games finished (41), batters faced (2635), and groundouts drawn (938). The four-time All-WAC selection Vansway too caps her illustrious four-year career as UVU's all-time leader in RBIs (159), defensive assists (412) and double plays turned (49). She is also second all-time in home runs (36), doubles (43), walks (69), at-bats (599) and total bases (347). Vansway also recently became UVU's single-season leader in RBIs (52) and tied in home runs (13) this year as well.
 
The senior outfielder Beavers too had a strong final collegiate game by going 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored, while fellow seniors and two-sport Division I athletes Kalli Suesue and Melanie Ostler (soccer and softball) capped their collegiate careers on Thursday as well.
 
"I am especially proud of the seniors who will be dearly missed," added Hubbard. "They were committed to the process and their teammates. It was never easy, and they never made excuses or backed down. They always found ways to grow and improve. They helped lay the foundation of this program's future and we are forever thankful for their contributions."