Feb. 8, 2008
Final Stats
Pocatello, ID - After spending the entire spring semester practicing at the ugly hour of 5:30 am in a small confined area of Holt Arena, Idaho State's softball team opened up their 10th season, and second since being reinstated last year, at the Red Desert Classic in St. George, dropping a 6-3 decision to Southern Utah.
The game marked the first time the team had been able to venture outside, and all things considering the Bengals acquitted themselves quite well. Kandis Clesson opened the game in the circle for ISU, but the Thunderbirds, who had two full games under their belts, came out early with a three-spot in the bottom of the first.
Aly Daniels reached to open the game on an error by Merissa Jannsen (it would be ISU's only error of the game). After a popup, the Thunderbirds (1-2) got three straight hits, including a double from Lindi Kennedy to go up 3-0 after one. SUU would tack on single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.
In the fourth, Rodeo Carli touched Clesson for a solo home run with two down, and Clesson then allowed a single sandwiched around two walks to load the bases, but Andrea Coburn came in and put the rally to rest by coaxing a ground out to Ivy Sessions.
Down 6-0 entering the seventh, the Bengals finally broke through. Emily Hu walked with one out, and after a strikeout, Krista Armstrong reached on an infield single. Sessions then walked to load the bases before Heather Dixon promptly cleared them with a three-run double, her third hit of the game. With the tying run in the on-deck circle however, the game ended when Amber Sackett popped up to short.
"Considering we have been outside, I thought we did well," said head coach Larry Stocking. "We just put ourselves behind in the first inning, and it was tough to catch up, but I thought we pitched well, and we gave ourselves some chances."
ISU did have chances, twice stranding runners on first and second, both in the fourth and sixth innings before finally breaking through in the seventh. Clesson was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs, three earned, in 3.2 innings of work. Kristina Brooks picked up the win for the T-Birds, going the distance while allowing five hits and three earned runs, striking out 10.
Dixon was the leader for ISU, going 3-for-4 with all three runs batted in. Dixon led the team last year with a .312 average and 28 runs batted in, and the three gave her 31 in her career, tying Nancy Long for fifth on the all-time list.
The Bengals return to action with a pair of games on Saturday, taking on Utah Valley at 1:30 pm and then Utah at 4:30 pm.
NOTES: Idaho State last year dropped their opener in this same tournament 11-1 to Brigham Young ... Clesson pitched for the first time in nearly a full calendar year after getting injured in February of last year. She was the opening day starter a year ago as well ... Dixon made her debut at first base after playing third all of last year ... of ISU's five hits, three were doubles (two by Dixon, one by Miller).
