Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Sacramento State
Wildcats top Hornets, take control of title race
4/30/2016 2:59:00 AM | Softball
OGDEN – Five seniors chose to lay down a sacrifice hit before the first pitch was thrown, and the Wildcats never looked back.
On a day when the culmination of four years of dedication and hard work in the classroom were set to be recognized at Weber State's 147th commencement exercises, seniors Alyson Kulp, Aubrey Whitmer, Krystin Kubo, Rudi Barrios, and Jazmine Thompson, chose to forgo their walk across the stage and instead lace up their cleats for a critical doubleheader between the Big Sky Conference's top two teams at Wildcat Softball Complex.
Behind those five seniors, the Weber State University softball team was simply unstoppable at the plate, rolling to a pair of run-rule victories over Sacramento State and seizing control of the Big Sky title race with four games remaining.
The Wildcats pounded out 13 hits in an 11-3 five-inning victory in game one, and then followed it up with a 12-hit performance in an 8-0 six-inning victory in the second game.
Weber State improved to 13-3 in Big Sky play, 32-15 overall, and moved 1 1/2 games up on Sacramento State (12-5 Big Sky, 23-19 overall) in the race for the league's regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the league's postseason tournament, which will be hosted by the regular season winner on May 12-14.
Junior right fielder Sara Hingsberger led the Wildcats' hitting parade on Friday, going 5-for-7 at the plate with two home runs – including her second inside-the-park home run of the season – and eight RBIs. Whitmer had five hits with an RBI double and three RBI, while junior right fielder Mackenzi Corta had four hits and an RBI.
“I really loved our approach to today's doubleheader,” Weber State coach Mary Kay Amicone said. “Our pitchers were mixing well and pitched two really good games. Our team offense was very exciting. Sara and Aubrey were locked in and had great games, but we had consistent contributions throughout our lineup.
“We had a great turnout to support us today, which was so much fun to see.”
Kulp and Kubo each had three hits for the Wildcats, who finished the 11-inning day by going 25-for-52 at the plate (.481) with five extra base hits and 19 runs scored.
Sophomore right-hander Kirtlyn Bohling improved to 17-6 with the five-inning game one victory, setting a new single-season school record for wins in the circle. Junior right-hander Baylee Reeves and sophomore right-hander Bailey Seek teamed up for the six-inning game two win, with Reeves improving to 7-4 with her fourth straight winning decision.
Weber State and Sacramento State will square off in the series finale on Saturday at Noon, with the five seniors set to be honored prior to and after the game.
