Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
CSUN
Wildcat softball sweeps opening day in Arizona
2/21/2015 3:48:00 AM | Softball
PHOENIX – The Wildcats came up shining in the Valley of the Sun.
The Weber State University softball team swept a pair of wins during the opening day of the Grand Canyon Invitational, edging CSUN 3-1 on Friday morning, and then storming back for a 10-9 win over host Grand Canyon in a late afternoon thriller.
Sophomore right fielder Sara Hingsberger had a strong day at the plate, going a combined 4-for-7 with three runs scored and three RBI. The Eagle, Idaho, native had an RBI single, RBI double and a solo shot over the center field fence in the second game against the Antelopes.
Senior right-hander MaCauley Flint threw a six-hit, eight strikeout complete game in in the win against the Matadors (9-3), and then earned her fourth career save against the Antelopes (6-8), earning the final two outs with the potential go-ahead run on second base.
Freshman catcher Molly Horne jacked a two-run long ball to left field against Grand Canyon to kick off a Weber State's sixth-inning rally against the Antelopes, while three other Wildcats recorded multiple hits on the day.
“I thought our team really competed well today,” Weber State coach Mary Kay Amicone said. “The CSUN game was a very well-played game. MaCauley threw a terrific game, and our offense was productive and consistent.
“It was great to get back on the field and see the adjustments we made from our first tournament.”
In the opening game against the Matadors, the Wildcats earned runs in the second, third, and fourth innings to take a 3-0 lead before CSUN hit a solo homer in the sixth to plate the Matadors only run of the game.
Senior first baseman Kylee Hogue had an RBI single in the second inning, scoring Hingsberger for the 1-0 lead. Freshman second baseman McKinley Brinkerhoff scored in the third on a wild pitch, and then junior short stop Aubrey Whitmer hit a solo home run to center field to make it 3-0 in the fourth.
Flint, who pitched to just six batters over the minimum, had five strikeouts in the final three innings, including the Matadors final two batters.
“The Grand Canyon game was a true team win,” Amicone said “Everyone contributed to that win. Sara Hingsberger had a great day at the plate and Molly Horne supplied a clutch spark with her first career home run. We showed a lot of resiliency late in the game with runs in the sixth inning.
“We need to play cleaner defensively, but that was a great team win.”
In the second game of the day, the Wildcats pounded out 11 hits in a dogfight with the tournament host Antelopes.
Weber State surged out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, with Hingsberger's RBI double scoring junior third baseman Alyson Kulp, and junior designated hitter Sierra Whitmer's two-RBI single to center field scoring Hingsberger and Aubrey Whitmer.
Grand Canyon answered back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring four runs to take the lead, and then added two more in the third to take a 6-3 advantage.
Senior center fielder Malia Campos blasted an RBI triple to right field that scored junior Jazmine Thompson to make it 6-4, but the 'Lopes answered that one back in the bottom of the inning to push it back to 7-4.
Hingsberger hit a solo shot to center field to bring the Wildcats back within two, and freshman right-hander Kirtlyn Bohling shut down Grand Canyon in the bottom of the fifth to set the stage for a monster rally in the sixth.
After Hogue walked to lead off the inning, Horne smashed a two RBI shot over the fence at left field to tie the game, with senior utility player Stephanie Mathias reaching on a walk, and Campos reached on an fielder's choice – ending up at third base after a throwing error at by the Antelopes' third baseman allowed junior left fielder Rudi Barrios – running for Mathias – to score. Campos scored to make it 9-7 after an error by GCU's pitcher got Kulp on base, and Hingsberger completed the inning with a RBI single to center field that scored sophomore Katelyn Robinson – running for Kulp – from second base.
Grand Canyon reached on an error to lead off the seventh and then hit a two-run shot to left field to make it 10-9. The potential tying run reach on a single, with the winning run getting on after being hit by a pitch. After the 'Lopes moved the runners with a sacrifice bunt, the Wildcats turned to Flint in the circle, who forced a pair of infield pop-ups to end the game.
Weber State (4-3) will be back in action at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday to face Grand Canyon again, followed by a rematch with CSUN at 3 p.m., before wrapping up the tournament on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. against the Antelopes.
