Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box score
POCATELLO, Idaho- Amanda Fitzsimmons did it all for the Bengals in Saturday's sweep of Utah Valley University. Fitzsimmons earned two wins and hit a walk-off homerun to lift ISU to 6-1 and 6-5 victories over Utah Valley University at Miller Ranch Stadium.
“Amanda has been a rock for us,” Idaho State coach
Julie Wright said. “She is getting better with every outing. She was the star today. She is such a team player and special kid. I am excited to see that she is playing so well.”
For the day Fitzsimmons was three-for-seven with one homerun and two RBIs. In the circle she went 11.1 innings, allowing eight hits, striking out 10, walking only one and allowing only one earned run. In the first game she went the distance, scattering six hits and striking out seven. In game 2, she tossed the final 4.1 innings and allowed two hits, one run and one walk while striking out three.
The Bengals had 16 hits on the day with
Sidney Hoskins,
Vicky Galasso, Becky Simonsen and Fitzsimmons all recording three.
Shaundee Garrett had two hits including her first career homerun and
Gabby Lopez had two hits.
“My team said afterwards that this was a team-win,” Wright said. “They played solid on all sides of the ball and won it together.”
Idaho State led 2-0 early in the game 2 come-from behind victory after taking advantage of four Wolverine errors. In the top of the third UVU scored four runs and ISU committed two errors to allow UVU to take a 4-2 lead.
In the bottom of the third inning Idaho State got within a run at 4-3 after an RBI single by Lopez that scored Breakwell, who led off the inning with a walk.
ISU tied the game in the fourth when Garrett blasted her first homerun as a Bengal over the left-center fence.
“It is always special when a freshman gets her first,” Wright said. “Her at bats have been getting better and better. She just hammered it and did not miss.”
Utah Valley scored a run in the top of the seventh to take the 5-4 lead. ISU rallied in the bottom half of the inning as Simonsen reached on a one-out infield single and then with two outs, Fitzsimmons hit her game-winning homer over right-center.
“They showed great maturity today,” Wright said. “No one panicked, which is a really good sign. The team said that if they didn't get it done they felt like someone else was going to come up and do it. That is exactly what happened.”
In the first game, the game was scoreless through the first three innings. ISU broke loose with a four-run inning in the bottom of the fourth and never looked back. In the fourth inning, UVU committed two errors and Garrett had a two-RBI double to spark the Bengals.
ISU scored two more runs in the fifth inning. The Bengals scored their six runs on nine hits.
The four-game series concludes Sunday at 12 p.m. at Miller Ranch Stadium.
