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Show !THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1000 UNIVERSITY JOURNAL SPORTS PA~E 13 Softball sweeps UNLV series Tracksters Southern Utah avenged a season-opening sweep by UNLV with a sweep of its own Tuesday. SUU defeated the Rebels 3-2 and 7-6. The Thunderbirds improved to 6-31 on the year, 1-5 in the Mid-Con. Freshman Renee Hietbrink pitched the entire first game and the last five innings of the second. In the opener, SUU's Emily Cederholm opened the scoring in the-second inning when she tripled to right field, driving home Erin O'Donnell. Shay Stoddard then tacked on another run, singeling to left field to bring Cederholm home. SUU stretched the lead to 3-0 in the third inning when Jodi Bardsley doubled to left field to advance Wendy Haramoto home. Trailing 3-1 in the sixth inning, UNLV threatened the 'Bird victory when Racheal Goodpaster scored on a throwing error by Hietbrink. However, Hietbrink kept her composure with baserunners on second and third, retiring the ne·xt two batters. The game ended when Goodpaster flied into a double play, when Cederholm threw across the field to Sarah Poloni, catching Danielle Ferreira for the final out. Lori Shephard pitched the first two innings for SUU. In the second game, UNLV jumped out to an Rene Hietbrink early 2-0 lead in the first inning. Then the Rebels tacked on another run in the second. Trailing 3-0, the 'Birds closed the lead to one when Haramoto singled to right field, scoring Stoddard. Then Kelly Grundy doubled to left field to bring home Haramoto. In the fourth, Grundy picked up another RBI when she singled to left field, driving Katye Gillman home. Bardsley then singled to center field, advancing Haramoto home to take a 4-3 lead. In the fifth, UNLV regained the lead 6-4 with three runs off two hits and one error. In the sixth, SUU completed the sweep with three runs of three hits. SUU's Kolbi Clothier knotted the game at six with a two-run triple to right field, advancing Poloni and Bardsley home. O'Donnell then captured the lead with a single to left-center, scoring Clothier. Hietbrink then retired three straight batters in the seventh to close out the game. "l'm· very proud of Renee [Hietbrink]," said SUU Head Coach Laurel Simmons. "She ~ kept her composure all day long. This is the ~ best team effort I've seen all season long. ~ We never gave up and we came through [at 8 the plate] in the clutch with runners on base." ~ "Our bats were on fire," said Hietbrink. "I'm >- proud of the way the team hit today." ! SUU continues the homestand with a fourw ,c game series against Mid-Con foe Youngstown State over the weekend. The 'Birds will battle the Penguins with a two-game set on Friday at·2 p.m., then conclude the series on Saturday with a double header beginning at noon. SU sluggers split series at Utah BY JASEN ASAY JOURNAL SPORTS EDITOR Southern Utah's baseball team split its two-game series with the University of Utah Tuesday at Franklin Covey Field, home of the minor league Salt Lake Buzz, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. The Thunderbirds squeaked by the Utes in the first game 2-1 but fell in the high-scoring second game 15-10. Both teams struggled at the plate, but gave up no errors in game one. The 'Birds came up with only four hits. Sophomore James Anderson went three-for-three with two singles and a double, junior Russ Schmitt added another single. Utah scored first in the fourth, but SUU answered with a run of its own to tie the game in the sixth. Then the 'Birds got the go-ahead run in the seventh to take the lead. Freshman Steven Stroker started on the mouRd for SUU , giving up just three hits in six innings. Junior relief pitcher Cody Hunter pitched the final inning and earned the save. The second game was dominated by the Utes, who scored their 14 runs off 15 hits. The 'Birds improved at the plate, picking up eight hits, but had three errors. Junior Chad Grundy hit three-for-three and scored three runs. He also knocked in one run. The Utes struck first again, this time scoring twice in the first inning. The 'Birds answered with three runs in the second to take the lead 3-2. But the lead didn't last long as Utah scored six runs in both the second and fourth innings to take a commanding 14-4 lead after the fourth. After the Utes added a run in the fifth, SUU started its rally. The 'Birds fought back, scoring six runs in the sixth, but couldn't add any runs in the seventh. Freshman Daniel Peck took the loss for the 'Birds. Juniors Paul Luke and Brandon Boyle, and senior Mason Fox all saw action for the 'Birds from the mound. Next up for SUU is a trip to Mid-Con opponent Chicago State. The 'Birds (16-16, 5-3 Mid-Con) will play a four-game set against the Cougars (12-10. 3-3 Mid-Con). Frid.ay's double header will begin at 2 p.m. (CST), while Saturday's twin bill will start at 1 p.m. (CST). This series will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the diamond, as the 'Birds enjoy their opening season in the Mid-Con. to split in California BY TYLER JOHNSON SENIOR STAFF WRITER The track and field teams will compete in three separate California meets over the weekend, in hopes, Head Coach Eric Houle said, of nationally qualifying athletes and giving the teams a feel for what the conference championships will be like. The teams will compete in both the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational and the·Long Beach Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Some of SUU's top athletes will compete in the Mt. SAC Relays, in Walnut, Calif. on Friday and Saturday. The Mt. SAC meet is, accordir:ig to Houle, one of the biggest meets in the country and is by invitation only. Athletes Jody Benson, Zak James, Mark Wright, Curtis Moore, Anna Bullock, Kassandra Harrell, Daniel Ibarra, Chalys Lamb, Kelly Moore, Teresa Rice, Kyle Rowley and Kelly Snodgress are the only athletes from SUU that qualified to run at Mt. SAC. All of SUU's other tracksters will compete in the Long Beach Invitational while the Mt. SAC meet is being held. Houle said Adam Brown, Rice, Ibarra, Wright, Benson, Curtis Moore, James and some throwers are on the verge of nationally qualifying. He said the goal is to get them to where they can qualify nationally. For all of the other athletes, Houle said the goal is to simulate conference so they wiil be better prepared for the Mid-Con Championships on May 11 . "My whole intent is, if I can get them into a couple situations that's like conference and start them to adapt with the demands, then they will be able to perform better at conference. I've done all the years and it seems to work well,· Houle said. Tennis to face Utah rivals Golfers finish 10th at before Mid-Con tourney Grand Canyon Invitational Southern Utah's women's tennis team playing· mostly second singles. Senior closes the regular season over the Carolina Ferrandez, playing first singles, is 4-7, but 4-4 in league play while fellow weekend when it travels to Logan and senior Andi Moreno is 3~10. 2-7 in the Salt Lake City for a pair of nonconference matches with Utah State and conference. Moreno has seen action Utah. SUU and USU are mostly at third singles, but scheduled to begin at has won at both second and 1 p.m. Friday and the fourth singles. Junior Thunderbirds and Utes will Melinda Francom is 8-8, 5-4 play at 11 a.m. Saturday. in the Mid-Con while Freshman Kendra redshirt freshman Ashlee Gleason (11-5, 8-1 MidBerge is 8-7, but 7-2 against Con) saw a 10-match Mid-Con opponents. In doubles, Francom and winning streak come to an ~ Berge lead the way with a end at Western Illinois ~ 7-4 mark, a perfect 4-0 in Saturday, but bounced ~ Mid-Con play. back with two straight wins 8 After the weekend over Valparaiso and at matches, the 'Birds will Chicago State. Sophomore Shaland Romero (11-4, 7-1 ~ prepare for the Mid-Con Mid-Con) has also been Championship to be hosted playing well, winning seven i= ~ by Oral Roberts in Tulsa, of her last nine matches by Sha/and Romero Okla., on April 28. ~--! g Southern Utah shot its best round of the season Tuesday, a 287, to move up two spots and finish 10th at the Grand Canyon Thunderbird Invitational, played at the 7,015 yard, par 72 Palm Valley Golf Club in Goodyear, Ariz. SUU finished the tournament with a threeround total of 889, 18 strokes behind team champion Santa Clara at plus-7 871. After the 'Birds had their struggles in the first two rounds, three of SUU's four scorers shot par or better Tuesday, with senior Dave Loughton and freshman Robb Evans each carding a 71 and senior Tyler Barlow a 72. Junior John Busby had a 73 for the fourth SUU score, while junior Aaron Hansen posted an 81 . Barlow, who shot 72-73-72, finished the tournament at 1-over·par 217 to tie for ninth-place, five shots behind Medalist John Davis of host Grand Canyon. Busby finished another three shots back at 220 in 22nd place, while Loughton and Evans finished at 11-over 227, tied for 50th. Hansen finished in a tie for 85th at 244. ·we had the kind of day we're capable of having every time out," SUU Coach Richard Church said. "We had four players all playing well and that's what a team needs. Tyler has been playing well lately and he did it again here, but it was also nice to see Dave, John and especially.Robb shoot so well today. Aaron just Qad some troubles on a couple of holes that hurt him." Evans round was the best of his collegiate career and the best round by an SUU freshman this season. Santa Clara claimed the team title in a tie-breaker over Cal State Northridge, which also shot 871 . Grand Canyon was another stroke back. 1 • |