Wolverines escape Salt Lake City with rare win over Utes

Photo courtesy of UVU Athletics

UVU’s softball team defeated in-state foe University of Utah 5-2 Tuesday night at Dumke Family Softball Stadium, pushing the Wolverine’s current winning streak to four games.

Although the home team was able to take a 1-0 lead at the start with an RBI single from Makayla Hurst in the bottom of the third, the Wolverines tied it in the fourth after senior Brianna Moeller hit a leadoff single. She was later able to score thanks to a base hit from sophomore Linnah Rebolledo. The Utes took a brief led in the fifth after a throwing error allowed an unearned run to score. Utah consequently left 10 players on base throughout the match, which is undoubtedly something they will need to focus on as the season progresses.

The Wolverines, who are 5-9 on the road this season, trailed 2-1 in the sixth inning before senior Skylar Cook led off with a double. Later, with two outs in the inning, junior Lyndsay Steverson followed Cook up with a hit of her own. The ball went soaring past the fence and Steverson was awarded her seventh home run of the season.

Utah Valley went on to add two more runs in the seventh when senior Madison Sisco and freshman Peyton Prigge hit back-to-back doubles, with Prigge’s dinger scoring both Karleigh Olson and Sisco.

Junior pitcher Devyn Cretz closed the game and secured the win in order to notching her third win in her last three starts at the mound. Cretz only allowed one earned run on nine hits while striking out three. Steverson also helped cap the night off when she nailed a two-run home run in the top of the sixth.

Utah Valley, riding its season-high winning streak, will now head south to Las Cruces, New Mexico this weekend for a three-game WAC series against the Aggies. The action is set to begin at 6 p.m. Friday evening.