Weber State University Athletics
Friday, February 11
Phoenix, AZ
8:00 AM
Weber State University
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Photo by: Robert Casey
Double Win Doubleheader: Wildcats Go 2-0 on Opening Day
2/11/2022 9:44:00 PM | Softball
For the third time since 2016, the Weber State Wildcat softball team is off to a 2-0 start after defeating the Bradley Braves and the Fordham Rams in an opening day doubleheader.
The Wildcats started their day in the desert at Phoenix College where they squared off against Bradley. With Mariah Ramirez in the circle, Bradley's Jordy van der Werf went yard for a three-run home run to give the Braves the game's initial lead in the top of the second inning.
After that, Ramirez was lights out.
She held Bradley scoreless following van der Werf's shot, and only surrendered three hits in her seven-inning outing, striking out a dozen Braves for the day.
Despite Ramirez's excellent stuff in the circle, the Wildcat offense still needed to rouse from its offseason slumber.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning and Makayla Donahoo on base, Faith Hoe poked a single through the left side of the infield and brought in the Cats' first run of their season. The fourth-inning fun was just getting started, however, as Abigail Sagert hit a laser into right field that brought home Faith and Lauren Hoe to tie the ball game up at three.
With Ramirez continuing her typical dominance in the circle all throughout the game and finalizing her game with a dozen strikeouts, the Wildcat offense was still searching to break the deadlock into the bottom of the sixth. It was Daisy Taloa, a transfer student from Grand Canyon, who cranked a two-bagger into left field that brought home Faith Hoe and Aliya Harmon to give the Cats a lead that would hold to the end and give the Wildcats their first win of the season.
"We fought back hard after falling behind in the second inning," Head Coach Mary Kay Amicone mentioned following the season opener. "Mariah Ramirez pitched a really good game with 12 strikeouts and she made adjustments well. Abby Sagert and Daisy Taloa had clutch hits for us to tie the game and take the lead in the sixth."
Following the comeback victory against the Braves, the Cats caught the bus and headed across town to Grand Canyon University's field where they took on the Rams of Fordham, a team who finished the 2021 season with a 37-10 record.
Arissa Henderson, a fifth-year transfer student from BYU, took the circle for WSU and pitched an absolute gem, and Henderson got some early help from the Wildcat offense. In the top of the first inning, Weber State legend Chloe Camarero smacked a solo shot over the fence in left center field to give Weber State a 1-0 lead.
In the following inning, left center field collected another souvenir softball from a Wildcat bat, this time coming from the defending Big Sky Conference Player of the Year, Lauren Hoe.
With a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, a single up the middle of the Wildcat defense brought home a runner to give Fordham its lone run of the game and cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Wildcats wouldn't strike again until the fifth inning when Camarero slugged her second dinger of the day which scored Katelyn Whiting and extended the Wildcat lead back to 4-1. In the top of the seventh, Henderson helped her own cause at the dish as she send a double into the green grass of the outfield that brought Whiting home. The tally moved to 5-1 and would remain until the ball game went final.
Henderson's final line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K, all going along with her double and RBI at the dish.
Regarding Henderson's Wildcat debut, Amicone noted, "(She) had a great game, striking out ten hitters. She scattered hits and our offense worked well together with some timely hitting." Amicone also noted Camarero and Lauren Hoe's hard hitting and the vital roles they played in today's success.
Weber State (2-0) will play Fordham again on Sunday morning at 10:30, and attempts will be made to live stream the game on WSU softball's Facebook page. The Cats hit the field again tomorrow evening against the Grand Canyon Antelopes at 6:00, and that game can be watched on ESPN+.
Follow Weber State softball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to stay up to date on everything happening with the Wildcat program.
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The Wildcats started their day in the desert at Phoenix College where they squared off against Bradley. With Mariah Ramirez in the circle, Bradley's Jordy van der Werf went yard for a three-run home run to give the Braves the game's initial lead in the top of the second inning.
After that, Ramirez was lights out.
She held Bradley scoreless following van der Werf's shot, and only surrendered three hits in her seven-inning outing, striking out a dozen Braves for the day.
Despite Ramirez's excellent stuff in the circle, the Wildcat offense still needed to rouse from its offseason slumber.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning and Makayla Donahoo on base, Faith Hoe poked a single through the left side of the infield and brought in the Cats' first run of their season. The fourth-inning fun was just getting started, however, as Abigail Sagert hit a laser into right field that brought home Faith and Lauren Hoe to tie the ball game up at three.
With Ramirez continuing her typical dominance in the circle all throughout the game and finalizing her game with a dozen strikeouts, the Wildcat offense was still searching to break the deadlock into the bottom of the sixth. It was Daisy Taloa, a transfer student from Grand Canyon, who cranked a two-bagger into left field that brought home Faith Hoe and Aliya Harmon to give the Cats a lead that would hold to the end and give the Wildcats their first win of the season.
"We fought back hard after falling behind in the second inning," Head Coach Mary Kay Amicone mentioned following the season opener. "Mariah Ramirez pitched a really good game with 12 strikeouts and she made adjustments well. Abby Sagert and Daisy Taloa had clutch hits for us to tie the game and take the lead in the sixth."
Following the comeback victory against the Braves, the Cats caught the bus and headed across town to Grand Canyon University's field where they took on the Rams of Fordham, a team who finished the 2021 season with a 37-10 record.
Arissa Henderson, a fifth-year transfer student from BYU, took the circle for WSU and pitched an absolute gem, and Henderson got some early help from the Wildcat offense. In the top of the first inning, Weber State legend Chloe Camarero smacked a solo shot over the fence in left center field to give Weber State a 1-0 lead.
In the following inning, left center field collected another souvenir softball from a Wildcat bat, this time coming from the defending Big Sky Conference Player of the Year, Lauren Hoe.
With a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, a single up the middle of the Wildcat defense brought home a runner to give Fordham its lone run of the game and cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Wildcats wouldn't strike again until the fifth inning when Camarero slugged her second dinger of the day which scored Katelyn Whiting and extended the Wildcat lead back to 4-1. In the top of the seventh, Henderson helped her own cause at the dish as she send a double into the green grass of the outfield that brought Whiting home. The tally moved to 5-1 and would remain until the ball game went final.
Henderson's final line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K, all going along with her double and RBI at the dish.
Regarding Henderson's Wildcat debut, Amicone noted, "(She) had a great game, striking out ten hitters. She scattered hits and our offense worked well together with some timely hitting." Amicone also noted Camarero and Lauren Hoe's hard hitting and the vital roles they played in today's success.
Weber State (2-0) will play Fordham again on Sunday morning at 10:30, and attempts will be made to live stream the game on WSU softball's Facebook page. The Cats hit the field again tomorrow evening against the Grand Canyon Antelopes at 6:00, and that game can be watched on ESPN+.
Follow Weber State softball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to stay up to date on everything happening with the Wildcat program.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ramirez, Mariah (1-0)
L: French, Grace (0-1)
Batting:
2B: French, Grace 1 ; Smith, Samantha 1
HR: van der Werf, Jordy 1
RBI: van der Werf, Jordy 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Pettit, Addison 1 ; French, Grace 1 ; van der Werf, Jordy 1
SB: Mead, Lucy 1
Batting:
2B: Sagert, Abigail 1 ; Taloa, Daisy 1
RBI: Hoe, Faith 1 ; Sagert, Abigail 2 ; Taloa, Daisy 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Harmon, Aliya 1 ; Hoe, Faith 2 ; Hoe, Lauren 1 ; Donahoo, Makayla 1
SB: Donahoo, Makayla 1
Game Leaders
dh/1b
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
MI
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballP/1B
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballBeyond the Bases: Episode 1
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NCAA Tournament post-game press conference
Monday, May 19
Softball Big Sky Tournament Highlights
Wednesday, May 14