Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Northern Colorado
Big inning boosts Wildcats to sweep of Bears
4/2/2016 9:19:00 PM | Softball
OGDEN – Every play matters.
Even a seemingly routine one.
With the Weber State University softball team clinging to a 1-0 lead, sophomore second baseman McKinley Brinkerhoff teamed up with senior first baseman Krystin Kubo to turn a routine pop-up into a momentum shifting double-play, and the Wildcats blitzed Northern Colorado 10-0 in five innings to wrap up a three-game series sweep of the Bears on Saturday afternoon at Wildcat Softball Field.
Northern Colorado put runners in the corners with no outs to lead off the fourth inning, but Brinkerhoff and Kubo turned a 4-3 double play on the next at-bat, with a fly-out to left field ending the Bears' threat, and Weber State sent up 13 batters, plating nine runs, to take a 10-0 lead at the end of the inning.
The win was Weber State's fifth straight, helping the Wildcats improve to 5-1 in Big Sky Conference play, where they are tied with Sacramento State atop the league standings, and 21-12 overall.
“It was a solid conference series sweep,” Weber State coach Mary Kay Amicone said. “I thought we came out a little bit slow in today's game. We have offensive goals that we need to continue to concentrate on to allow us to get better.
“The double play in the fourth with McKinley and Kubo really sparked us. (Junior designated player) KyRae Kogianes laced that double to lead off right after that double play, and we put together a big inning.”
Senior shortstop Aubrey Whitmer was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, while senior third baseman Alyson Kulp was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Sophomore catcher Molly Horne was 1-for-1 with two RBI, and Kogianes had a double and an RBI – in different at-bats of the same inning.
Sophomore right-hander Kirtlyn Bohling improved to 13-3 in the circle and lowered her Big Sky Conference-leading ERA to 2.19 as she earned her second complete-game win of the weekend, allowing just six hits and one run in 10 innings of work. Bohling's 13 wins is the third-most pitching wins in a single season in school history, trailing only Sarah Clark (16, 2012) and MaCauley Flint (14, 2015).
“Kirtlyn and Molly really kept their hitters off balance. We had great support throughout the depth of our roster today.”
Amicone also credited the Wildcat Softball Field crowd helping the Wildcats come out with a strong start at home.
“We love seeing all the fans come out and support us at home,” Amicone said.
Weber State's current five-game winning streak is its longest of the season, and trails only a pair of seven-game win streaks last season as the third-longest winning streak in Amicone's three seasons at the helm.
Saturday's win was Amicone's 595th career win as a collegiate head coach, leaving her just five shy of becoming the latest member of college softball's 600-win club. Amicone, who is 81-56 at Weber State, is 595-231-2 (.719) in her 15th season.
Weber State will be back in action at home on Tuesday against in-state rival Utah Valley. The Wildcats and Wolverines are set to play a doubleheader, beginning at 2 p.m. at Wildcat Softball Field, with Weber State returning to the Big Sky Conference road next weekend for a three-game series with in-state rival Southern Utah on Friday and Saturday.
