Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Utah Valley
Streak Ends; 'Cats Grab First Win
4/10/2010 3:00:00 AM | Softball
OREM, Utah -- After dropping 29 straight games to open the season, the Wildcats grabbed the first win of the new era of softball at Weber State with an 8-6 victory over Utah Valley in the second game of a doubleheader on Friday afternoon.
After dropping the opener 10-1, the Wildcats jumped on the Wolverines early in the second game of the twinbill, scoring three times in the top of the first.
Britinie Hardine led off the game with a single up the middle for her first of four hits in the game. Linnea Ketcher then reached on an error, and stole second to give the Wildcats a pair of runners in scoring position with no outs. Ariel Whiteman scored both runners with a single. Abby Bowcutt finished off the scoring for WSU in the frame, plating Whiteman with a two-out single down the left field line.
Weber State tacked on another run in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead, but UVU responded with a pair of runs in the second and another pair in the fourth to erase the Wildcat lead.
The Wildcats got their lead back in the top of the fifth, scoring another three times. Starting pitcher BreAnn Jones supplied the big blast, with a two-out, three-run homer.
Utah Valley got a pair back in the bottom of the fifth, chasing Jones with a solo home run and a double to lead off the inning. Hardine came on to take the ball and got the Wildcats out of the inning.
The Wildcats added an insurance run in the sixth, as Hardine again led off with a single. Pinch runner Jessica Adler scored the run on a groundout by Heather Jackson.
Jones (1-4) got the win for the Wildcats, despite giving up six runs over four innings. She helped her own cause with a big day at the plate, going 2 for 4 and picked up the game-winning RBI on her fifth inning homer.
Hardine pitched three shutout innings of relief to earn the save, and continued her torrid hitting with five hits on the day. The junior from Wilcox, Ariz. led off the first game with a home run, and put together a 4 for 4 effort in the second game to extend her current hitting streak to seven games.
The Wildcats improved to 1-29 on the season, but started off Pacific Coast Softball Conference play with a 1-1 record. The Wolverines, who also opened up league play, moved to 13-16 with the win. The two teams will finish off the series with another doubleheader at UVU Softball Field on Saturday, beginning at Noon.
