Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
UNLV
Wildcat softball tops UNLV in EMS Classic finale
3/3/2014 1:50:00 AM | Softball
LAS VEGAS – Alyson Kulp must certainly be a Star Wars fan.
After all, the Wildcats' sophomore third baseman spent the weekend blowing up the Rebels' base.
Led by a three-run home run by Kulp in the third inning, the Weber State University softball team stormed past UNLV 5-1 on Sunday afternoon at Eller Media Stadium, capping off a successful weekend for the Wildcats the Eller Media Stadium Classic.
“It was a very good weekend for the Wildcat softball program,” Weber State coach Mary Kay Amicone said. “Aly Kulp was seeing the ball well all weekend. (Junior right-hander) MaCauley (Flint) threw great and we played solid behind her. I'm really proud of our effort and continuous fight. Improvements are happening each game.”
Kulp, a native of Orange, Calif., finished the three-day tournament hitting .429 in 14 plate appearances. All six of her hits during the four-game weekend were for extra bases, including two doubles, a triple and three home runs, as she touched 19 bases with a 1.357 slugging percentage and nine RBI.
On Sunday, she was 2-for-4 with four RBI after adding an RBI double in the fifth inning, giving the Wildcats a 4-0 lead over the Rebels.
“I wasn't trying to think too much while I was at the plate,” Kulp said. “I was focused on one pitch and thinking 'just a base hit.' My main focus was to get the runners in or advance them to score runs.”
Making her third start of the tournament, Flint threw a complete-game three hitter with five strikeouts, improving to 6-1 on the mound this season, as she threw to just four batters over the minimum. Flint went 3-0 during the tournament, allowing just 10 hits and five earned runs in 21 innings with 23 strikeouts.
The Wildcats put two runners on with no outs to start the third inning, with Kulp knocking the ball over the left field fence as the inning's fourth batter to make it 3-0.
The Rebels hit a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the fifth to cut it to 4-1, but Weber State push the lead back to four runs after sophomore first baseman Krystin Kubo hit an RBI double to center field that scored junior Brooke Boggess – pinching running for junior catcher Mylee Davis, who led off the inning with a single up the middle – and made it 5-1.
Weber State finished the Classic with a 3-1 record, and improved to 9-5 overall. The last time the Wildcats were 9-5 was on March 22, 1980, after defeating UNLV 2-0 in Las Vegas.
Weber State will be back in action this weekend at the SpringHill Suites Invitational in Boise, Idaho, where they will face Valparaiso twice, Indiana twice and the host Broncos.
