SEATTLE — Britney Moreno drove in three, Emma Haygood hit her fourth homer of the season, and the Wolverine pitching staff combined to give up just three runs to lead Utah Valley to a doubleheader sweep of the Seattle U Redhawks, 2-1 and 4-2 on Friday evening at Logan Field.
Avery Sapp struck out five and allowed no earned runs in a complete game win in game one. Payge Armendariz pitched 5.1 innings of relief, striking out three and allowing one run on three hits, to earn the win in the nightcap. The Wolverine pitchers held Seattle U without an extra-base hit across both games.
"I want to shout out our pitching staff," said head coach Cody Thomson. "It's not just one, it's all of them together winning games and keeping teams at really low numbers. I thought we had a good plan today. We stayed really aggressive and it helped us win two ball games today."
Moreno's three RBIs — along with her two runs scored — were the difference-makers on the offensive side. Moreno laced a game-tying double to right center and came around to score on a wild pitch in game one, then hit a go-ahead two-run triple to center in game two.
GAME ONE
The opener was a pitcher's duel in every sense, as the two teams combined for nine hits, only one of which was for extra bases. Avery Sapp picked up a strikeout in each of the first three frames before surrendering her lone unearned run of the day in the fourth.
A strange play set the table for the Redhawks' lone run in game one. With a runner on first, Seattle's Jasmine Wehn hit a grounder to Victoria Vasquez at second, who flipped it high to Moreno and couldn't grab it. The ball was then kicked into shallow left field by the sliding runner, who took third, then came in on a bloop single to right.
Utah Valley flipped a one-run deficit into a one-run lead in the sixth, thanks to a single by Angelique Mann and a double by Moreno. Mann snapped a streak of eight straight Wolverines retired with a one-out single, then Moreno smoked a low liner into the gap in right center to bring her home. Moreno took third on the throw home and was able to score on a wild pitch during the next at-bat.
The Redhawks got a leadoff single in the home half of the sixth, but a grounder right to the bag at second allowed Vasquez to turn the double play. Sapp would then retire the next four batters in succession to end the game.
GAME TWO
Seattle U struck first again — this time in the bottom of the first — after a bases-loaded grounder to second allowed a run to come in. Cam Davis hunkered down and got out of the jam with a flyout to left.
Utah Valley got all of its offense in the second, starting with a game-tying solo homer by Haygood. Sapp singled to left and Mann reached on an error by the shortstop to set the table for Moreno, who smoked a line-drive triple over the centerfielder's head and bring in both runs. Kendyl Purdy then reached on an error by the second baseman to plate the fourth and final run.
Armendariz came on with two outs in the bottom of the second and faced the minimum over the next three innings before a two-out rally plated the second Redhawk run in the fifth, with two singles sandwiched around a walk
Seattle U got the tying run up in both the sixth and the seventh, but Armendariz was able to shut the door with five groundouts.
Utah Valley will go for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+, with live stats available at UVUStats.com.
