POCATELLO, Idaho- The Idaho State softball team split the opening day of a three-game series at Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah. The Bengals took game 1, 5-3, and lost game 2, 12-4, in five innings.
"We got a complete game with pitching, hitting and defense in game 1," Idaho State coach
Candi Letts said. "We lost our grit in game 2. We will be ready for game 3."
In game 1, the Bengals had 11 hits and played flawless defense.
Haley Harrison,
Emma Bordenkecher,
Billie Jean Wells and
Frankie Tago all had two hits.
SUU took a 1-0 lead after two innings. In the top of the third, Tago led off with a double to left-center and
Nicole Calderon, who was pinch running for Tago, later scored on a sacrifice RBI to centerfield by
MaKenzie Van Sickle.
Idaho State took a 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning. With one out and Tago on first, Van Sickle singled to right field and she later scored on a perfectly placed bunt by Harrison. Van Sickle scored later in the inning on a sacrifice RBI to right field by Bordenkecher.
SUU scored a run in the fifth and sixth inning. Idaho State had a lead-off homer by
Aubrey Creekmore in the sixth and later in the inning
Jayden DeMoss reached on an RBI single to center field.
Autumn Pease had five of her 11 strike outs in the last two innings to keep SUU at bay. Pease's 11 strikeouts in a game was one off the school record of 12 set by Kelsi Ott in 2012.
In game 2, Idaho State led 3-2 after the top of the third inning. Southern Utah then scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning and five in the fifth to earn the win.
Danni Ryan was 2-2 with two RBI and one run scored to lead the offense. Idaho State had eight hits but committed four errors. Southern Utah scored its 12 runs on 11 hits and committed one error.
Mariah Mulcahy took the loss. She pitched 2.2 innings, allowed eight hits, one walk, two strike outs and seven runs.
Mailee Newman pitched the final 1.2 innings and allowed five hits and five runs.
The series concludes Saturday at 1 p.m.
