FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Aubree Hogan went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and hit her first career home run as Utah Valley topped Colorado State, 9-7, on Friday at the Colorado Classic. Earlier in the day, in Greeley, Colorado, the Wolverines fell 9-4 at Northern Colorado. The remainder of the weekend's schedule has been canceled due to impending weather.
UVU (7-7) trailed 2-0 before scoring four times in the third to take the lead. The Wolverines made an early error come back to hurt the Rams (6-11) in the inning. After homering in the first game of the day,
Kalena Shepherd delivered a two-run home run with two outs to get Utah Valley on the board. After
Mikaela Thomson was hit by a pitch,
Megan Gibbs doubled before Hogan drove both runners in with a base hit to center.
Colorado State tied it with a two-run home run from Hailey Smith in the bottom half of the inning, but Hogan put the Wolverines back in front two innings later with a three-run shot to center.
Linnah Rebolledo walked to lead off the fifth and Gibbs later singled with two outs before Hogan's home run gave UVU the lead for good.
The Rams got one run back in the bottom of the fifth, on an RBI triple from Smith, who was 3-for-4 and just a double shy of the cycle. Utah Valley got two more in the sixth to take a 9-5 lead.
Jordan Freas started the inning with a pinch-hit double and pinch-runner
Victoria Vasquez later scored on an RBI ground ball off the bat of Rebolledo. Rebolledo scored when she stole second and then came all the way around to score on an errant throw.
Colorado State responded with two runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth, but
Brooke Carter retired the Rams in order in the seventh, including strikeouts of the last two hitters of the game. Carter came on in relief and pitched 4.2 innings and struck out seven to pick up her fourth win of the season.
In the earlier day, 30 miles away in Greeley, the Bears used a pair of four-run frames to take the season series from the Wolverines.
Shepherd hit her first home run in a Utah Valley uniform in the sixth and Thomson singled home two runs in the seventh, but the Wolverines couldn't get any closer.
Madison Carr also had an RBI and two hits in the game. Peyton Gale homered twice and drove in five runs for Northern Colorado.
The Wolverines are now off until the home opener on Wednesday, March 16 in a doubleheader against Maine that is slated to begin at 12:30 p.m. MT.
