Long Beach State University
Utah
Softball Drops First Game In Las Vegas
2/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Las Vegas, Nev. - Long Beach State (3-3) lost a heartbreaker in the 49ers' opening game of the Easton Desert Classic against Utah, as the teams met for the third time this season.
The Utes picked up a solo run in the second inning, and grabbed a second run in the third inning on a solo home run by Kate Dickman. Long Beach State rallied to take the lead in the next inning though.
With one out in the fourth inning, Haley Tobler started a rally with a single, and Julia Lombardi followed with another single to put two runners on for Christina Montoya, who hit the first home run of the 2015 season for the Beach with a three-run shot to left field.
Utah tied the game in the bottom of the fifth as Hannah Flippen came around to score after hitting a double on a sacrifice fly. The back-and-forth continued as Long Beach State pushed right back into the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Darian Tautalafua walked to start the inning, and worked her way around the bases on an error and a pair of passed balls to give LBSU a 4-3 lead.
A leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh gave Utah a chance to tie the game, as Kate Dickman scored on a two-out double by Kristen Stewart, sending the game to extra innings.
Neither team scored in the eighth inning, but in the ninth, the 49ers pushed a runner across the plate to take a third lead. Julia Lombard moved to third base on a passed ball, and scored on an RBI single from Shayna Kimbrough.
Utah had one more answer in the bottom half of the inning however. Amanda Hansen, pitching in relief, got the first out of the inning, but an error put two runners on, and Bridget Castro homered to left field to end the game in favor of the Utes.
