HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Brooke Carter tossed a three-hit shutout and Peyton Prigge hit a grand slam to help Utah Valley pull away in a 7-0 win over No. 4 seed Abilene Christian on Wednesday at the WAC Softball Tournament. The win was the second of the day for the Wolverines (24-25), who will now face No. 1 seed Grand Canyon on Thursday at 10 a.m. CT/9 a.m. MT.
 
Carter and ACU starter Sydney Holman were locked in a pitcher's duel for six innings, with the fifth-seeded Wolverines leading 1-0 and the only run coming on a wild pitch in the top of the fourth. The Wolverines put up six runs in the top of the seventh, with Prigge's grand slam extending it from 3-0 to 7-0.
 

T7 | PRIGGE! A grand slam in the top of the seventh and UVU leads 7-0. #GoUVU #UVU #WACsb pic.twitter.com/CTscsBd67Q

— UVU Softball (@UVUSoftball) May 11, 2022

 
Carter struck out four through the first two innings, ending the second with a strikeout on the ninth pitch of the at-bat to Avery Miloch. The Wildcats loaded the bases in the third, which included their first hit on a bunt single, but Carter got a pop out to Thorpe at short to end that threat.
 
Thorpe began the top of the fourth with a bloop double to right, moved to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on another wild pitch for the game's first run. Carter responded with a shutdown inning in the ACU's half of the fourth, retiring the side in order.
 
The Wolverines had a pair of hits but could not push a run across in the fifth and Miranda Davila led off the bottom of the inning with the Wildcats' second hit, but Carter got a foul out and a pair of groundouts to complete five scoreless innings.
 
Carter again worked around a hit in the sixth — a one-out single from Riley White — but a pop out to Albritton at second and soft grounder to Thomson at third kept Abilene Christian off the scoreboard through six.

 

WAC Softball Tournament, Game 3 | @youngpbp and @MKMauro6 speak with Head Coach @coachCThomson for our post-game interview presented by @signaturerings. @GoUVU advances 7-0 over Abilene Christian #WACsb pic.twitter.com/M6uTyBH06e

— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) May 11, 2022

 
Thorpe drove in Utah Valley's first run of the seventh with a sacrifice fly and Megan Gibbs walked with the bases loaded to make it a 3-0 game. Prigge followed Gibbs with the grand slam, her first home run of the season and UVU's fifth grand slam of the year. Carter retired the side in order in the seventh to notch her 12th win and keep the Wolverines unbeaten in the tournament.