Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Montana
Wildcats top Griz to win regular season title
5/7/2016 11:24:00 PM | Softball
MISSOULA, Mont. – The Wildcats are coming home with a championship in tow.
The Weber State University softball team edged out rival Montana 9-7 on Saturday afternoon at Grizzly Softball Field, claiming their first-ever Big Sky Conference regular season title and the right to host the Big Sky Conference postseason tournament, which will begin on Thursday at Wildcat Softball Complex in Ogden.
Weber State finished the Big Sky regular season at 15-5, and improved to 34-17 overall, while ending Montana's eight-game winning streak as the Grizzlies finished 14-7 in Big Sky play and 27-25 overall.
With the teams deadlocked at 7-7 in the sixth inning, senior third baseman Alyson Kulp came up with an RBI single to center field that drove sophomore second baseman McKinley Brinkerhoff from second for the eventual game-winning run. Junior left fielder Mackenzi Corta had a bases-loaded RBI walk that scored freshman JaeCie Wilson and put the Wildcats ahead by two runs.
Freshman right-hander Tatiana Su'esu'e picked up the win in the circle, showing veteran poise as she closed down the final nine outs, including getting the Wildcats out of a bases-loaded with no outs jam in the fifth inning.
“I knew I had to go out there and do a job for my team,” Su'esu'e said. “I needed to block everything out and focus on shutting down whoever I faced for my team. They were working hard and giving their all in the game, so I had to do the same for them. Especially our seniors.
“I knew with everything I had, that the defense had me, so I was just spinning the ball and the game would take care of itself.”
Weber State came roaring out the gate, plating two runs in the first inning on Sara Hingsberger's two-run homer to left field – her second long ball of the series and 13th of the season. The Wildcat went up 3-0 on an RBI single down the left field line by junior center fielder Carley White.
Wilson singled to lead off the third, and scored on an RBI double to right center by senior shortstop Aubrey Whitmer to make it 4-0. Corta singled through the left side to score Whitmer, and sophomore catcher Molly Horne had an RBI at-bat that scored Hingsberger, giving the Wildcats a 6-0 lead through three innings.
Montana didn't go down quietly, however, with the Griz cutting the lead to 6-2 on a two-run homer in the bottom of the third.
The Wildcats pushed the lead to 7-2 on another RBI hit from Whitmer, but Montana scored five two-out runs, including a grand slam, in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie things up.
“I'm very proud of the way we fought back today,” Weber State coach Mary Kay Amicone said. “We stayed together and scored throughout the game. Tatiana did an outstanding job of closing out the game in the circle. This series really helped us work through what it takes to play with a lot on the line. It will be a great opportunity for our team to host the Big Sky softball tournament this week.”
The six-team Big Sky Conference tournament will get underway at Wildcat Softball Complex on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. All 11 games of the tournament will be broadcast through WatchBigSky.com.
Tournament Schedule
(Times MDT)
Thursday, May 12
Game 1 – No. 4 Montana vs. No. 5 Southern Utah, 9:30 a.m.
Game 2 – No. 3 Idaho State vs. No. 6 Portland State, 12:00 p.m.
Game 3 – No. 1 Weber State vs. Game 1 Winner, 2:30 p.m.
Game 4 – No. 2 Sacramento State vs. Game 2 Winner, 5:00 p.m.
Friday, May 13
Game 5 - Loser of Game 2 vs. Loser of Game 3, 9:30 a.m.
Game 6 - Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 4, 12:00 p.m.
Game 7 - Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 2:30 p.m.
Game 8 - Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 5, 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 14
Game 9 - Loser of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8, 11:00 a.m.
Game 10 - Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 9, 1:30 p.m.
Game 11 - If Necessary Game (Game 9 winner must win Game 10), 4 p.m.
Tickets are available now at https://tkt.xosn.com/tickets/TicketLanding.dbml?&&DB_OEM_ID=8600
Prices are as follows:
Tournament Pass: $25
Adults: $10 per day
Youth/WSU Students & Staff/Seniors: $5 per day
Youth (4 and under): Free
Tickets can be purchase online, by phone at 801-626-8500, or at the Dee Events Center Ticket Office.
The Ticket Office hours are:
Mon-Wed (regular hours): 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Thurs-Fri: 8:30 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Sat: Open at 10 a.m.
