Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Boise State
Wildcats claim two wins in Desert Classic
2/21/2016 5:50:00 AM | Softball
HENDERSON, Nev. – A blowout and a nail-biter turned out the same result.
A win for the Wildcats.
Sophomore right-hander Kirtlyn Bohling threw a five-inning no-hitter as the Weber State University softball team steamrolled Boise State 10-0 in a five-inning romp during Saturday's opening game, before the Wildcats scored a dramatic 3-2 come-from-behind win in eight innings over Grand Canyon in the nightcap.
With the two-game sweep, Weber State improved to 3-1 through the first two days of the DeMarini Desert Classic and 7-3 overall this season. The Wildcats will wrap up the tournament, hosted by UNLV at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park in Henderson, on Sunday at 10 a.m. (9 a.m. Pacific) against UC Davis (2-6).
In the opening game, the Wildcats came out on fire, with senior first baseman Krystin Kubo hitting her third career grand slam in the first inning to make it 4-0.
Weber State added three runs in the second, including two on a two RBI double by senior shortstop Aubrey Whitmer. Whitmer scored later in the inning on an error for the 7-0 lead.
Whitmer added another RBI double in the third, before scoring on a wild pitch to make it 9-0, and senior third baseman Alyson Kulp had an RBI single in the fourth to make it 10-0, before the Wildcats closed the winless Broncos down in the fifth.
Bohling (4-1) issued four walks, but didn't allow a hit and struck out three in picking her first complete-game no-hitter. It was just the fifth no-hitter in Wildcat history, and the second Bohling has been part of, after she pitched six of the seven innings of a no-hitter in a 7-0 win over Utah State in on April 21, 2015, in Ogden.
In the nightcap, the Wildcats' struck first when Kulp smashed a lead-off home run, but Grand Canyon tied it back up in the bottom of the first and took a lead on a second-inning home run.
Weber State had the tying run on third with one out in the fifth, but couldn't push it across and still trailed by one heading to the seventh.
Sophomore second baseman McKinley Brinkerhoff singled to right field, with junior outfielder Carley White moving her to second with a sacrifice bunt.
The Lopes elected to walk Kulp, and then walked junior outfielder Mackenzi Corta to load up the bases with two outs, with Whitmer delivering a clutch RBI single that brought Brinkerhoff across the plate to tie the game.
After getting out the bottom half of the inning, the Wildcats and Lopes went to international tiebreaker, with senior Jazmine Thompson pinch running.
Kubo bunted to move Thompson to third, with junior outfielder Sara Hingsberger bringing her home with a single.
With Grand Canyon (8-2) up to bat in the bottom of the inning, the Wildcats aggressively went after the lead runner at third on a bunt attempt for the first out, before White made a catch at center field and Hingsberger ended the game on a foul fly ball in right field.
