ATLANTA — Lily Riley tossed a complete game shutout and Amber Rodriguez had a five-hit day to lead Utah Valley to a doubleheader sweep at Georgia State, taking the opener 1-0 before winning 7-2 in come-from-behind fashion to close out the day.
Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a double in the opener and scored the only run the Wolverines needed as Riley was masterful in the circle. Riley K'ed eight Panthers en route to the shutout, the fastest by a UVU freshman at just 16 games into her debut campaign.
"Another great performance by Lily Riley," said head coach Cody Thomson. "So proud of her and the work she's put in. Rachael came up big in the last game with the three run home run that solidified the win.
Avery Sapp bounced back from a rocky first inning to get a complete game win in the finale, shutting out GSU over the final six frames. Rodriguez picked up right where she left off in game one with three hits in four at bats while driving in and scoring a pair of runs. Rachael Brown delivered some much-needed insurance runs with a three-run homer, her first of the year, in the seventh inning.
GAME ONE
The Wolverines got all the offense they needed in the top of the first on a strange play. After Rodriguez's leadoff double, the bases were loaded with one out. Angelique Mann doubled, but some miscommunication on the basepaths resulted in a double play that ended the inning.
Riley surpassed the season-high in strikeouts she set on Saturday with eight punchouts, Riley's shutout is just the fifth by a UVU freshman, joining Cassie Herrera, Josi Summers, and Sapp, the latter two who did it twice.
The Panthers were only able to get two runners into scoring position on Riley — once in the first and once in the seventh — as she scattered four hits and six total baserunners over the seven innings.
GSU's best scoring opportunity came in the seventh after a leadoff double and a one-out error put runners on the corners. Riley hunkered down and got a groundout to short and a strikeout looking for the final two outs.
GAME TWO
The Panthers rallied for two in the first to take an early lead, but would not score again the rest of the game.
Utah Valley rallied to tie the game at two in the third. Emma Haygood led off the inning with a double, then her pinch runner Kina Watts came around to score on a single by Rodriguez. Tatum Hall split the gap in right center to score Rodriguez from first with a double of her own.
Rodriguez scored her third run of the day in the fifth when she touched home on a fielder's choice after leading off the inning with a double.
The Wolverines pulled away with a four-run rally in the seventh to put the game on ice. Mann doubled and Sapp reached on an infield single to set up Brown, who launched her first home run of the season to give UVU a 6-2 lead. Bailey Marvin worked a two-out walk, then her pinch runner Victoria Vasquez was doubled home by Rodriguez.
Sapp shut the door with a scoreless seventh to secure the victory.
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will enjoy a 10-day break before opening WAC play next weekend in Riverside, Calif., with a three-game set at California Baptist. All three games will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with live stats available at UVUStats.com. The Wolverines will open the home season the following weekend with Grand Canyon making their final trip to Orem on March 14-15.
