OREM, Utah – Utah Valley University powered its way to a doubleheader sweep of UMKC, winning 7-4 and 9-8, to also earn the three-game series sweep in WAC play.
The Wolverines (10-17, 3-3) hit five home runs on the day including two from
Abby Doughty in game two. For the series, Doughty went 6-for-11 (.545) with three home runs, a double and eight RBIs. She hit the go-ahead grand slam on Friday and the go-ahead two-run double in the first game of Saturday's twin bill. Doughty then capped the series with the two-home run game.
Peyton Prigge also hit a home run in both games and
Brianna Moeller, who had a pair of three-hit games on the day, also homered in the series finale. UVU hit four home runs in the 9-8 win. After going 6-for-8 with four RBIs, four runs and a home run in the doubleheader, Moeller was named the Wilkinson's Trophy Player of the Game.
Devyn Cretz earned the save in Saturday's first game and then notched her second complete-game of the weekend in the final contest. She also won on Friday afternoon to pick up two wins and a save in the three-game sweep.
In game one with the Wolverines trailing 2-1, Doughty came to the plate with two on and doubled to score both
Skylar Cook and
Madison Sisco. Moeller drove in Doughty with a base hit to left and
Linnah Rebolledo doubled home Moeller to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 lead. In the fifth Prigge hit a two-run home run, scoring pinch-runner
Kaylee Bott to extend it to a 7-2 lead.
The Roos took advantage of multiple defensive miscues from UVU in the sixth to cut into the lead with two runs to make it 7-4. After a leadoff single in the top of the seventh, the Wolverines went to Cretz out of the bullpen. She picked up the save by retiring three straight batters to end the game.
Payton Hammond (1-1) got the win after 4.1 innings in relief. She struck out four and surrendered just two unearned runs on three hits. Moeller was 3-for-4 and Doughty 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
In game two, Doughty's first home run came with one out in the bottom of the first to get the scoring started for UVU. Later, with two outs,
Basia Query drove in
Lyndsay Steverson with an RBI single and
Jordan Freas followed with a two-run single that plated both Steverson and Moeller for a four-run first inning.
After UMKC added two runs on a single by Catherine Friloux in the second, Utah Valley answered with three more to take a 7-2 lead. Prigge homered for the second straight game to lead off the inning. Doughty and Steverson hit consecutive singles with one out and both scored when Moeller doubled just inside the bag at third.
The 'Roos (20-15, 1-5) wouldn't go away, scoring twice in both the fifth and sixth to get within a run. Ashley Thorne had a two-run single in the fifth to get UMKC within three runs and Madason Shaw hit a two-run home run in the sixth to make it 9-8.
In the top of the seventh, Faith Willis walked to put the potential tying run on base, but Maegan Rollow hit a liner to center and Cook fired a strike to Freas at first to double off Willis. Cretz then got Friloux to ground out to Steverson at second to end it.
Doughty and Moeller both went 3-for-4 with Moeller driving in three runs and Doughty finishing with two RBIs and three runs. Freas added two hits and two RBIs for the Wolverines, who finished with 12 hits. UMKC had two-hit games from Shaw and Willis and both drove in two runs as well.
Utah Valley is back out on the road next week starting with a midweek contest on Tuesday at Utah. The Wolverines will then travel to New Mexico State for three games next Friday and Saturday.
