FRESNO, Calif. – Playing in its fourth tournament of the season, the Thunderbird softball team took the field five times over the weekend at the Fresno State Invitational. The team ended the trip with a 2-3 record, highlighted by a pair of wins over Cal State Bakersfield.
Below are recaps of all the games, beginning with Friday’s matchup with ACC member Cal.
Friday vs. Cal
SUU got off to a rough start in game one on Friday, as the Cal Golden Bears secured an 8-0 run-rule victory in five innings.
Cal tallied runs in the bottom of the first and second innings to take a 2-0 lead, before making it 3-0 in the fourth. The T-birds were unable to get the bats going, being held scoreless before the Golden Bears added five runs in the fifth inning to secure the win.
Southern Utah struggled on offense in the loss, totaling just 2 hits.
Friday vs. Cal State Bakersfield
The Thunderbirds got in the win column in Friday’s second game, holding CSU Bakersfield scoreless to notch a 1-0 win.
Both teams remained scoreless through the first five innings, but SUU finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth. Third baseman Ariyana Miranda sent an RBI double to left, scoring second baseman Laurie Cooke for the 1-0 lead.
SUU was able to keep the Roadrunners off the scoreboard thanks to strong pitching, as Keimon Winston recorded the win, and Emily Delgado secured the save.
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Saturday vs. Cal State Bakersfield
Southern Utah began Saturday with a rematch, facing the Roadrunners for a second time.
The game featured a breakout for the Thunderbirds’ offense, as the team totaled 10 runs on 8 hits while picking up a second straight win.
SUU got the run party going early, scoring a run apiece in both the first and second innings. The T-birds added three runs in the fifth, highlighted by a 2-run RBI double off the bat of catcher Kassidy Munoz and a run-scoring single from Amyah Boostedt.
Leading 5-0 heading to the sixth, Southern Utah added five runs to its advantage to make it 10-0, before Emily Delgado secured the shutout win in the circle.
Delgado (1-2) tossed a gem in the win for the Thunderbirds, allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks in 6 shutout innings for her first win of the season.
Saturday at Fresno State
Following a big offensive game against CSU Bakersfield, the bats went quiet against tournament host Fresno State Saturday evening.
The T-birds could only muster three hits and were shut out, as the Bulldogs ended SUU’s two-game winning streak with a 5-0 victory.
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Sunday vs. Cal
Southern Utah’s offensive struggles carried over into the tournament’s final game, as Cal secured a 6-0 win.
The Golden Bears scored a run in the first to take the lead before adding two more in the bottom of the second to make it 3-0. Cal would record a run in the fourth, eventually tallying two more runs in the sixth to secure a shutout win.
With the loss, the T-birds have dropped consecutive games, while also being kept scoreless three times over the weekend.
SUU is now 5-14 overall with the 2-3 record posted at the final multi-team event of the season before conference action begins.
Up next
Southern Utah (5-14) opens the WAC schedule with its first home series of the season on Friday, March 7.
The T-birds will take on Tarleton State for a three-game series beginning with a Friday doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 3:30 pm. The series will conclude Saturday, March 8 with a noon game.
All games of the series can be seen on ESPN+.
Photo courtesy of SUU Athletics.
