PHOENIX — Rachael Brown and Megan Gibbs each hit their first home runs of the season to lead Utah Valley (5-6) to a 6-4 win over the New Mexico State Aggies (7-3) on Friday at GCU Softball Stadium in Phoenix. The Wolverines fell 9-2 to the Idaho State Bengals (11-2) in the second game of the afternoon.
With the game tied in the top of the 7th, Amber Rodriguez laced a go-ahead triple to right field to give Utah Valley the lead for good.
GAME ONE
Brown hit her first D-I home run in the top of the second following a two-out walk by Gibbs. Brown finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Gibbs went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Avery Sapp faced the minimum through three innings, but ran into some trouble in the fourth. The first two Aggies singled to lead off the inning, then advanced into scoring position with one out. Sapp was able to limit the damage to one as Kendal Lunar hit a sac fly to center and got the next batter to ground out.
UVU got that run back in a hurry as Gibbs led off the top of the fifth with a solo homer to left. The Wolverines put together a two-out rally with a couple of singles by Britney Moreno and Ry Binne, but were unable to capitalize.
NM State took a 4-3 lead after putting up three runs in the bottom half of the fifth, punctuated by a two-run home run by Dezianna Patmon.
Halle Morris reached base in her 10th-consecutive game with a one-out single in the sixth. Victoria Vasquez pinch ran for Morris, and was able to advance all the way to third on a pair of wild pitches. Gibbs then came up clutch with a two-out, two-strike single up the middle to bring home Vasquez and tie the game.
Jorja Barrett came on to pitch in the sixth and closed out the game with two hitless innings to earn the win.
Binne started what proved to be the game-winning rally in the seventh with an infield single. She came around to score on Rodriguez's RBI triple later that inning. Angelique Mann provided an insurance run after successfully executing a safety squeeze play. Barrett finished the job with a three up, three down inning punctuated by a swinging strikeout.
GAME TWO
A pair of big innings by the Bengals proved to be insurmountable for the Wolverines in the second game of the afternoon. ISU plated three in the third and five in the fourth to pull away.
After the Bengals' three-spot in the third, UVU answered with two of their own as only two balls left the infield during the rally. Laynee Betancur started things off with a single to right, then Moreno reached on an error by the shortstop. Binne then loaded the bases when she reached on a throwing error by the pitcher.
Amber Rodriguez reached on a fielder's choice to bring in Betancur, as Binne was out at second on the play. Moreno came in to score on a failed pickoff attempt of Rodriguez at first. Mann singled up the middle with two outs, but the Wolverines wouldn't score any more runs in the inning or the game.
UP NEXT
Utah Valley heads over to Tempe for their final three games this weekend. Tomorrow, the Wolverines will face Texas State and host Arizona State at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. MT respectively. UVU will wrap up the weekend with an early 9 a.m. game against Big East foe Seton Hall on Sunday.
