SACRAMENTO — Avery Sapp tossed a complete game, allowing one run and scattering five hits while also going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs to lead Utah Valley past the San Jose State Spartans, 7-1 on the last day of the NorCal Kickoff.
Emma Haygood continued her torrid start to the season with a 1-for-2 day with two RBIs, giving her five in just three games played. Rachael Brown went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk. Utah Valley finished the weekend going 2-3.
"It was a good weekend, we learned a lot about our team," said head coach Cody Thomson. "Sapp had a great weekend with two wins. She had command with all of her pitches. Amber Rodriguez was a standout for me, getting on base out of the leadoff position. When she gets on base, we score a lot of runs. Overall, I feel like the competition this weekend was pretty good. We had to play hard, which is going to help us in the WAC."
After working out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first, Sapp settled down over the final six frames, allowing just three hits and six total baserunners the remainder of the game.
The Wolverines rallied for two runs in the bottom half thanks to some aggressive baserunning. Amber Rodriguez led off with a single, then took third two batters later on a single by Megan Gibbs, who also took an extra base on the throw. Haygood then singled to left to plate both runners.
Utah Valley added another in the second courtesy of a dropped ball in left. Rachael Brown led off the inning with a double, then her pinch runner Kina Watts came around to score on the error.
The Spartans scratched across a run in the fifth off of one of just three hits Sapp allowed after the first inning, a double down the left field line.
The Wolverines put the game on ice with a four run rally in the bottom of the sixth. A pair of walks and a sac bunt set up Sapp, who smoked a double over the right fielder's head to plate both runners. Two more runs were able to score after a walk and an error at first.
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will return to action on Friday in Phoenix, Arizona at the Littlewood Classic, hosted by Arizona State and GCU. The Wolverines will open the weekend with a pair of games against the Belmont Bruins and the Washington Huskies, who opened the season receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. First pitch of those games is slated for 10:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. MT respectively, with a live stream on the GoUVU Youtube page and live stats on UVUStats.com.
