Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
UC Riverside
Highlanders' rally past Wildcat softball
2/25/2013 1:47:00 AM | Softball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The Wildcats came painfully close to snagging their first win of the season on Sunday afternoon, but came up one out short.
UC Riverside's Ashley Ercolano hit three-run, two-out home run as the Highlanders rallied from a 5-0 deficit in the final two innings to defeat the Weber State University softball team 7-5 in the final game of the Amy S. Harrison Classic.
Freshman third baseman Alyson Kulp, sophomore catcher Janel Cunningham, freshman right fielder Jazmine Thompson, and junior shortstop Brooke Silva each had two hits as the Wildcats pounded out a season-high 10 hits. Silva had a double, while Thompson had an RBI triple.
Senior London Clarke had a hit, with three runs scored, while freshman Jessica Chaulklin had a singled as a pinch-hitter.
The Wildcats (0-9), who stranded 10 base-runners, led 1-0 in the first inning after Cunningham hit an RBI single that scored Silva from third base.
Kulp hit a two RBI single up the middle to score Clarke and freshman second baseman Brooke Ford and give Weber State a 3-0 lead.
The Wildcats had a chance to all but close the door on the game in the fourth inning after loading the bases, with Riverside walking in Clarke after freshman Rudi Barrios was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and no outs. With three runners still on, the Highlanders got outs on the next three batters to escape the winning trailing only 4-0.
Clarke scored her third run of the game in the fifth inning when Thompson tripled, making it 5-0 for the Wildcats.
Riverside hit a solo shot in the sixth inning to make it 5-1, but Weber State close the door before the Highlanders could do more damage.
After putting the Wildcats down in order in the top of the inning, Riverside's bats came alive for five hits in the bottom of the inning, including Ercolano's game-ending three-run shot over the left field fence.
Weber State will return to action next weekend at Eller Media Stadium Classic hosted by UNLV in Las Vegas.
Weber State will meet DePaul, UNLV, Cal State Northridge and face New Mexico State twice during the three-day tournament.
