Southern Utah University’s softball team split a doubleheader on Saturday in Pocatello, Idaho. The Thunderbirds defeated the University of Maine 11-0 in the first game but lost to Idaho State 2-1 in the second matchup. With these results, Southern Utah’s record stands at 11-15 for the season.
Taralyn Ollison led off for Southern Utah and collected four hits with two RBIs across both games. Freshman McKenzy Becerra added three hits and two RBIs. Junior Arianna Ramirez and sophomore Michelle De la Cruz each hit home runs during the opening game, contributing to a season-high 11 runs for the Thunderbirds.
Senior pitcher Delaney Baker threw a complete game shutout against Maine, allowing only two hits and striking out one batter over five innings. In the second game, Hannah Duncan pitched six innings for Southern Utah, giving up two runs on four hits while striking out five.
Coach Don Don Williams said:
Game 1 began with Michaella Salvatierra scoring on a wild pitch in the first inning. Kassidy Munoz followed with a double that brought Arianna Ramirez home from second base, giving Southern Utah an early lead. The third inning saw solo home runs from Ramirez and De la Cruz, as well as additional runs scored by Salvatierra and Becerra’s RBI single, extending the lead to 7-0.
In the fourth inning, Taralyn Ollison hit a two-run double as part of three more runs scored by Southern Utah. The team added another run in the fifth when Alayah Toscano singled to drive in Munoz. Baker closed out the bottom of the fifth to secure an 11-0 win by run rule.
The second game featured strong pitching from both teams through three scoreless innings. Idaho State took a 1–0 lead in the fourth after Sydney Groves hit a solo home run. Southern Utah tied it up in the fifth when De la Cruz reached base after being hit by a pitch and later scored on a wild pitch.
Idaho State regained its lead in their half of the fifth when Jaden Moore singled to bring McDonald home for what would be the winning run at 2–1. Despite late singles from Alayna Maake and Taralyn Ollison, Southern Utah could not tie or take back the lead before time ran out.
Looking ahead, Southern Utah will travel to Los Angeles next weekend for participation in the LMU tournament. They are scheduled to play Portland State twice—on Friday, March 13 at 4:30 p.m. MT and Saturday, March 14 at 1:30 p.m.—and will also face Loyola Marymount on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 4:00 p.m., with live stats available via suutbirds.com.
