Long Beach State University
Utah
Utah Snaps Softball's Winning Streak
2/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Palm Springs, Calif. -
Haley Tobler hit a three-run home run to pull Long Beach State within one run, but Utah ultimately outpaced the Beach and won 10-5 on Friday night.
Both teams went through the first two frames scoreless, before Utah (10-4) broke through by taking advantage of a Long Beach State (7-4) error in the third inning. After a one-out single and a wild pitch, Hannah Flippen reached on an error by Julia Lombardi, scoring one and run and leaving the door open for Utah. A double scored Flippen, and then a two-run homer from Kristen Stewart put the Utes on top 4-0.
Long Beach State answered back in the bottom half of the inning. Singles from Alley Perkins and Hannah Cookson left two on for Tobler, who hit her second home run of the season, a three-run blast to left field that made the score 4-3.
Utah pushed one more run across in the sixth inning to take a two-run lead, and opened up the game in the seventh. Three singles loaded the bases to start the inning, and then Kay Kay Fronda hit a grand slam to make the score 9-3. Lacey Alderman came on in relief for the Beach, and got out of the inning with just one additional run being scored.
The Beach made a final push in the bottom half of the seventh. Tierra Falo opened the inning with a leadoff walk, and Nichole Fry followed with her second double on Friday, scoring pinch runner Rachel Loera. Two groundouts pushed Fry around the bases, and a final out closed the win streak for Long Beach State at five straight games.
Long Beach State will play LIU Brooklyn at 5:30 p.m on Saturday before closing out the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Sunday with games against No. 25 California and No. 2 Michigan.
