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Softball Finishes with Series Split against Oregon State

by Utah Athletics
May 15, 2021

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Softball program celebrated three fantastic seniors on Saturday following the team's season finale against Oregon State at Dumke Family Stadium. The visiting Beavers came away with an 8-3 win to salvage a series split, but that didn't dampen the heartfelt postgame recognition of Alyssa Barrera, Julia Noskin and Alyssa Palacios for what they've done in their amazing careers.
 
Barrera, who finished her career having played in the sixth-most games in school history (230), lined a base hit into right-center field in her final at-bat to lead off the seventh inning, closing her storied career ranked sixth in school history in hits (243). She came around to score Utah's final run of the season, cutting the OSU lead to 8-3, for the 147th run of her career.  Noskin had Utah's first hit of the day, and Palacios had Utah's first RBI of the day, as all three seniors had a hit in their final game.
 
Oregon State opened a 2-0 lead in its first at-bat, but the Utes held  the Beavers in check over the next three innings and evened the score in the fourth inning. Ellessa Bonstrom led off the inning with a double and moved to third on a groundout by Destiny Quiles. Palacios, in her final game, then singled down the left field line to score Bonstrom and eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Haley Denning.
 
The tie game was short-lived, however, as Oregon State erupted for six runs in the top of the fifth inning to build an 8-2 lead, and held on for the 8-3 win.
 
Utah finishes its season 22-33 overall (3-21 Pac-12) against the eighth-toughest strength of schedule in the nation. Nearly half of Utah's 55 games this season (23) came against Pac-12 opponents ranked in the Top 15 in the nation, including 14 against teams ranked in the top 5 at the time of the game, and 19 against teams in the top 10 at the time of competition.

STANDOUT STAT
Madi Jacobus, recently back in the lineup after missing significant time due to injury, finished her season on a high note as she continued to provide stellar defense in left field in the last two games, and today went 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles.
 
NOTABLE

  • In addition to finishing sixth in career games played (230) and hits (243), as well as fourth in at-bats (707), Fifth-year/grad student/Super Senior Alyssa Barrera finished her Utah career having hit the second-most sacrifice flies of any player in school history (10), behind only Sunny Smith (12; 2007-10).
  • Utah finished the season having turned 60 double plays, second-most in the Pac-12, and capped the season with one in today's game.
  • Each of Utah's three seniors—Barrera, Julia Noskin and Alyssa Palacios—had a hit today in her final game as a Ute.

 

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