Weber State University Athletics
Friday, February 18
Las Vegas, NV
4:00 PM MT
Weber State University
4-2
11
vs
3
Kansas City
1-5
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Weber State
2
0
2
7
0
11
11
0
Kansas City
0
0
1
0
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4
Photo by: Robert Casey
Cardiac Cats Open Tournament with Big Wins Over Roos, Rebels
2/18/2022 11:24:00 PM | Softball
The UNLV Desert Classic started in style for the Weber State Wildcat softball team on Friday, as the Cats took an 11-3 win over the Kansas City Roos, followed by a 6-5 thriller over UNLV.
Friday's festivities started strong for the Wildcats against the Kansas City Roos. In the top of the first, Mia Rushton led off with a single and advanced to third base when McKell McCuistion reached on an error. Following a Chloe Camarero walk to load the bases, starting pitcher Mariah Ramirez lined a single into center to plate Rushton and McCuistion, and give the Wildcats a lead.
The Cats were quiet until the third inning which led off with McCuistion getting hit by a pitch and brought Camarero back up. On a 1-2 pitch, Camarero socked the softball over the left-center field wall for her Big Sky Conference leading fourth home run of the season, and WSU went up 4-0. Kansas City responded with a solo home run of their own in the bottom of the inning.
The top of the fourth is when things started getting wild.
As the shadows creeped across the green grass and red dirt of Eller Media Stadium, with one out and nobody on, it was McCuistion who started the fun with a single. Camarero singled her infield partner over to second base, and Ramirez reached on a throwing error that scored the first run of the inning. Faith Hoe pulled a pitch through the right side of the infield to score Camarero which made the score 6-1, and the Wildcat rout was on.
Following Faith was Lauren Hoe, whose 0-2 double to right-center brought Ramirez and Faith home. Back-to-back walks from Katelyn Whiting and Emily Ruhl loaded the bases for Makayla Donahoo. On a full-count, Donahoo singled through the left to bring home a run and extend the inning. Abigail Sagert was brought in as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded, and she didn't disappoint. Sagert tallied another hit for the Wildcats to score a couple of Wildcats to make it 11-1 and round out the inning.
Ramirez was pulled from the game after throwing four complete innings and striking out three Roos, and Head Coach Mary Kay Amicone brought in Amanda Sink . The first hitter that Sink faced singled, but then the Cats got a couple of outs to push the Roos against the ropes. Kansas City scored a couple of runs, but it wasn't enough to avoid the dreaded run rule. The game would end after the fifth, the Wildcats improved to 4-2 after the 11-3 victory in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
"I thought we pitched it pretty well," Amicone mentioned of the first game of the day. "Mo (Ramirez) had a good day. Anytime you can hold a team to four hits is big. I think the thing about that game that stood out to me was that it was total team. We had a lot of contribution from a lot of people from our lineup."
Shortly following the Wildcat win, Weber State would retake the field to battle against UNLV, the tournament's host and preseason Mountain West Conference favorite.
It was the Cats who would strike first in their half of the third inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Faith Hoe stroked a single through the middle of the infield to score Donahoo and Rushton and give WSU a 2-0 advantage.
Arissa Henderson had pitched well through three plus innings, but consecutive doubles from the Rebels tied the game in the bottom of the fourth and forced Weber State to make a pitching change, bringing in Madison Peterson. Peterson proceeded to get out of the inning unscathed, including back-to-back strikeouts to close out the frame.
UNLV did more damage in the fifth inning. With the bases full of Rebels and two gone, UNLV got a two-RBI single to take its first lead of the game at 4-2.
Both teams were held in check through the sixth inning until the Cardiac Cats showed up in the seventh.
Whiting led off the final inning with a double that seemed to fire the team up. Following a flyout to shortstop for the first out, Amicone went to the bench and found freshman Mika Chong, who came up clutch with a single to score Whiting from second. Rushton took four straight pitches to walk and bring in McCuistion who singled to right field, score a runner and tie the ball game. Camarero walked to load the bases and bring Daisy Taloa to the plate. She took ball four on a 3-1 pitch and, all of the sudden, the Wildcats had a 5-4 lead.
Faith Hoe launched a high, deep fly ball out to left field that was caught, but it was deep enough to score another runner extend WSU's lead, and that 6-4 score would go into
the bottom of the seventh.
With Ramirez on the mound, the Rebel leadoff hitter smacked a home run to cut the deficit to a single run, but Ramirez retired the next three hitters she faced. Wildcats win 6-5, and snap a seven-game losing streak in the series against UNLV.
"We were really gritty," Amicone said of her team's come from behind win. "To go out ahead, have it be tied, then to lose the lead and come all the way back. I was very proud of our team." Amicone continued and said that prior to the seventh inning, she told her team a familiar catch phrase when the team is trailing in the later innings of games: hit to win. She went on to mention how much pride she took from the comprehensive team performances on the day. "Total team. When I say it was a total team effort in both games today, that's really rewarding. They were together today and just united."
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Friday's festivities started strong for the Wildcats against the Kansas City Roos. In the top of the first, Mia Rushton led off with a single and advanced to third base when McKell McCuistion reached on an error. Following a Chloe Camarero walk to load the bases, starting pitcher Mariah Ramirez lined a single into center to plate Rushton and McCuistion, and give the Wildcats a lead.
The Cats were quiet until the third inning which led off with McCuistion getting hit by a pitch and brought Camarero back up. On a 1-2 pitch, Camarero socked the softball over the left-center field wall for her Big Sky Conference leading fourth home run of the season, and WSU went up 4-0. Kansas City responded with a solo home run of their own in the bottom of the inning.
The top of the fourth is when things started getting wild.
As the shadows creeped across the green grass and red dirt of Eller Media Stadium, with one out and nobody on, it was McCuistion who started the fun with a single. Camarero singled her infield partner over to second base, and Ramirez reached on a throwing error that scored the first run of the inning. Faith Hoe pulled a pitch through the right side of the infield to score Camarero which made the score 6-1, and the Wildcat rout was on.
Following Faith was Lauren Hoe, whose 0-2 double to right-center brought Ramirez and Faith home. Back-to-back walks from Katelyn Whiting and Emily Ruhl loaded the bases for Makayla Donahoo. On a full-count, Donahoo singled through the left to bring home a run and extend the inning. Abigail Sagert was brought in as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded, and she didn't disappoint. Sagert tallied another hit for the Wildcats to score a couple of Wildcats to make it 11-1 and round out the inning.
Ramirez was pulled from the game after throwing four complete innings and striking out three Roos, and Head Coach Mary Kay Amicone brought in Amanda Sink . The first hitter that Sink faced singled, but then the Cats got a couple of outs to push the Roos against the ropes. Kansas City scored a couple of runs, but it wasn't enough to avoid the dreaded run rule. The game would end after the fifth, the Wildcats improved to 4-2 after the 11-3 victory in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
"I thought we pitched it pretty well," Amicone mentioned of the first game of the day. "Mo (Ramirez) had a good day. Anytime you can hold a team to four hits is big. I think the thing about that game that stood out to me was that it was total team. We had a lot of contribution from a lot of people from our lineup."
Shortly following the Wildcat win, Weber State would retake the field to battle against UNLV, the tournament's host and preseason Mountain West Conference favorite.
It was the Cats who would strike first in their half of the third inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Faith Hoe stroked a single through the middle of the infield to score Donahoo and Rushton and give WSU a 2-0 advantage.
Arissa Henderson had pitched well through three plus innings, but consecutive doubles from the Rebels tied the game in the bottom of the fourth and forced Weber State to make a pitching change, bringing in Madison Peterson. Peterson proceeded to get out of the inning unscathed, including back-to-back strikeouts to close out the frame.
UNLV did more damage in the fifth inning. With the bases full of Rebels and two gone, UNLV got a two-RBI single to take its first lead of the game at 4-2.
Both teams were held in check through the sixth inning until the Cardiac Cats showed up in the seventh.
Whiting led off the final inning with a double that seemed to fire the team up. Following a flyout to shortstop for the first out, Amicone went to the bench and found freshman Mika Chong, who came up clutch with a single to score Whiting from second. Rushton took four straight pitches to walk and bring in McCuistion who singled to right field, score a runner and tie the ball game. Camarero walked to load the bases and bring Daisy Taloa to the plate. She took ball four on a 3-1 pitch and, all of the sudden, the Wildcats had a 5-4 lead.
Faith Hoe launched a high, deep fly ball out to left field that was caught, but it was deep enough to score another runner extend WSU's lead, and that 6-4 score would go into
the bottom of the seventh.
With Ramirez on the mound, the Rebel leadoff hitter smacked a home run to cut the deficit to a single run, but Ramirez retired the next three hitters she faced. Wildcats win 6-5, and snap a seven-game losing streak in the series against UNLV.
"We were really gritty," Amicone said of her team's come from behind win. "To go out ahead, have it be tied, then to lose the lead and come all the way back. I was very proud of our team." Amicone continued and said that prior to the seventh inning, she told her team a familiar catch phrase when the team is trailing in the later innings of games: hit to win. She went on to mention how much pride she took from the comprehensive team performances on the day. "Total team. When I say it was a total team effort in both games today, that's really rewarding. They were together today and just united."
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ramirez, Mariah (2-2)
L: Mia Hoveland (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Hoe, Lauren 1
HR: Camarero, Chloe 1
RBI: Sagert, Abigail 2 ; Camarero, Chloe 2 ; Ramirez, Mariah 2 ; Hoe, Faith 1 ; Hoe, Lauren 2 ; Donahoo, Makayla 1
SH: Hoe, Lauren 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rushton, Mia 1 ; McCuistion, McKell 2 ; Foster, Noelle 1 ; Camarero, Chloe 2 ; Ramirez, Mariah 1 ; Hoe, Faith 1 ; Hoe, Lauren 1 ; Whiting, Katelyn 1 ; Ruhl, Emily 1
SB: Donahoo, Makayla 1
HBP: McCuistion, McKell 1
Batting:
2B: Kloe Hilbrenner 1
HR: Kloe Hilbrenner 1
RBI: Kloe Hilbrenner 2 ; Ally Vonfeldt 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kloe Hilbrenner 2 ; Katie Slauson 1
SB: Kloe Hilbrenner 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
cf/pr
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
1
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
MI
/ Softball
P/1B
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballBeyond the Bases: Episode 1
Thursday, September 11
NCAA Regionals Highlights
Tuesday, May 20
NCAA Tournament post-game press conference
Monday, May 19
Softball Big Sky Tournament Highlights
Wednesday, May 14