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Softball Takes Down No. 14/13 Sun Devils, 6-4

by Utah Athletics
Apr 2, 2021

SALT LAKE CITY – Solid pitching from starter Halle Morris and timely big hits propelled Utah to a 6-4 softball win over No. 14/13 Arizona State Saturday in the middle game of a three-game Pac-12 series at Dumke Family Stadium.
 
Alyssa Barrera was 2-3 at the plate and drove in three runs, while Haley Denning was 2-4 and scored twice to help Utah earn its first Pac-12 win of the season and improve to 12-14 overall. Arizona State is now 20-9 (3-5 Pac-12). Morris (3-2) earned the win, going 5-2/3 innings and allowed three earned runs while scattering seven hits and striking out one, and helped her cause with a two-out, two-run double in the fifth.
 
Utah turned the tables on the visiting Sun Devils with early offense, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first on a base hit by Barrera that scored Denning and Julia Noskin, who walked three times today and scored twice. The Utes added a run in the fourth on a triple by Jordyn Gasper to score AJ Militello, and tacked on three more in the bottom of the fifth when Barrera singled again to score Denning and Morris's double brought home Barrera and Noskin.
 
ASU narrowed the gap to 6-4 with two runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh, and had runners on first and second with one out. Haley Denning made a great play on a fly ball to shallow left field, making the catch and firing quickly to second base to double-up the ASU base-runner and close out the game with a double play.
 
STANDOUT STAT
Utah came through in clutch situations, forcing ASU to leave nine runners on base, while stranding only four on its side. 

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Amy Hogue:
"I'm proud of this group. There was such a commitment to chipping away and sticking with the game plan. Halle (Morris) was great on both sides of the game today. Tomorrow we have a chance to win the series against ASU, which is exciting for us. It was definitely a fun day at the ballpark and we are looking forward to another fun day tomorrow."

NOTABLE

  • Jordyn Gasper's fourth-inning RBI triple was the first three-bagger of her career, and Utah's seventh this season by five different players.
  • Utah earned five walks off ASU pitcher Allison Royalty to match its third-highest total of the season.
  • Barrera's three RBI increase her team-leading total to 28 for the season.
  • Morris held ASU's lineup in check in the circle, and was clutch at the plate with her two-out, two run double in the fifth, while also earning two walks at the plate.

ON DECK
The Utes and Sun Devils wrap up their three-game series Saturday at 12 p.m. at Dumke Family Stadium. Admission is free.
 

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