Hungry like a Wolverine
Utah Valley’s softball team hit the road again as they traveled all the way from the west coast back to the Beehive State, taking on three of their very own in-state rivals, hungry for more victories.
The Wolverines began their latest journey to Moraga, Calif. where they took on Saint Mary’s, leaving the Sunshine State with a 2-2 game split.
UVU fell 5-1 on the first day but striking back with a 3-1 win on their second attempt. The next day left UVU with the same results: falling to Saint Mary in the first game, 1-0 in 10 innings and then coming back with another 3-1 victory to finish off the weekend.
“Stats proved that we should have won every single game,” said Head Coach Rachel Hartgrove. “St. Mary’s are the defending champions on that side, so it’s good to at least come out of there with a split, but we should have done better.”
With highlights from the weekend, first baseman Amanda Robinson hit the ball out of the ballpark as she slammed her third home run of the season, putting the Wolverines up 1-0 in the last attempt on Saturday.
Pitchers Josi Summers and Tiffany Mills took the ball to town against Saint Mary’s as they kept striking out the opposing batters. Although the scores were down, the efforts were high.
“Our pitchers were awesome,” Hartgrove said. “They pitched great and our defense was good enough to win the game, we just didn’t get the runs in and that’s what we need to work on.”
With a long trip back to Happy Valley, the Wolverines were ready to take on another battle against Utah. After an upset against the Utes a couple weeks ago at Utah Valley’s game-opener, the Wolverines are ready to fight back.
“I know the girls want their payback and their revenge,” Hartgrove said. “We out-hit Utah in that game but didn’t come out with a win. I think the girls are hungry, and they’re going to come out ready to go.”
The prediction and anticipation of the Utah game was on point when the Wolverines came back Tuesday night with a 4-1 victory, upsetting the Utes on their new turf.
Starting the game off, run after run, was enough to keep the Utes on their toes. Robinson went 2-for-3 with two RBI’s with an additional two from shortstop Krystin Jachim in the first half of the game.
Not only were the four runs held accountable for the win, but the pitching of UVU’s very own Mills was giving Utah a run for their money. Mills pitched a big game, striking out five, allowing only one earned run from the Utes.
It was a great night for the Wolverines as their vengeance paid off. As the anticipation heats up, an appetite for more wins begins to pump the girls up.
With a short stall from the 23 road games being played this season, the Wolverines prepare to take on their next two opponents, matching up on their own field. CSU Bakersfield travels to Orem for a four-game Pacific Coast Softball Conference set, hoping to keep the Wolverines from another win.
“We’re working on a lot of things in practice so hopefully we can fix it by this weekend when Bakersfield comes into town,” Hartgrove said.
Anticipating a tough battle against Bakersfield, the girls will then take another four-game set with in-state rival BYU. The Cougars and Wolverines will claw it out, seeing who can claim the throne in their own Happy Valley.