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Show !THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2000 UNIVERSITY JOURNAL SPORTS PAGE 13 Tennis falls to Utah State .. BY JASEN ASAY JOURNAL SPORTS EDITOR Souther Utah's women's tennis team played its seventh match in nine days, losing a disappointing dual match to in-state rival Utah State 7-2 on Tuesday. This was SUU's only match that will be played at home in Cedar City. "I think we hit a wall having to play seven matches in nine days," said SUU Head Coach Lenny Lee. "The effort was there but we didn't get the results we wanted." ·we were just tired, we only had one day off," said sophomore Shaland Romero. "It was a good day off, but it was just one day." The team came into the match pumped up to face another Utah team, but fatigue set in for the Thunderbirds. Romero didn't seem tired as she made quick work of her opponent in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, against USU's Amy Thatcher in the number-two singles. Romero is 5-1 in her last six matches. :;J, Number-four singles freshman Kendra Gleason also - ~ scored a point for the 'Birds by defeating USU's Jackie Q Ellis 6-3, 6-3. Gleason is undefeated in her last six matches. ::l Number-one singles senior Carolina Ferrandez. who ~ was playing with a very sore wrist, lost in stra_ight sets ! 6-1 , 6-4. but almost turned the game around in the !:! second set. "When I was up 4-1 in the second set of my match, I Melinda Francom retums a serve by Utah State's Amelia thought I could win because I was in her head,· said Martinez. This match came down to the wire in the third Ferrandez. "In the next game, I was up 40-love, but I set with Fancon falling to Martinez in the tiebreaker, lost. I was mad.• losing the match 6-2, 2-6, 7-6. 8 Baseball opens Mid-Con play Southern Utah's baseball team begins a seventh inning to take the finale, 14-7. This stretch that will see the Thunderbirds play 17 marks the second-straight season that SUU has games in 16 days to begin the month of April, won a season series against a PAC-10 school. with 13 of those contests away from home. The Last year, the 'Birds traveled to Tucson and took 'Birds start their odyssey this weekend with their two of three from NCAA Regional participant first-ever Mid-Continent Conference series at Arizona. Valparasio. The four-game set will be played as Senior 1 B Jarod Ingersoll was named the Midtwo doubleheaders Friday and Saturday at 1 Con's Player of the Week for his efforts in the p.m: (MST) at Emory Bauer Field at Valparaiso, UW series. Ingersoll batted .461 (6-for-13) with a Ind. double, two home runs and Valparaiso enters play this 11 RBI. In the opener, week with a 2-13-1 record with Ingersoll went 3-for-3 from home games against Goshen the plate with a grand slam (Wednesday) and Wisconsinhis first HR of the season Milwaukee (Thursday) before and a three-run double. In the four-game series with game two, he hit his second SUU. The Crusaders were homer of the series, a twoswept in a home-and-home run blast in SUU's loss. In the three-game series by Butler series finale, he went 2-for-5 last weekend and will be with a pair of singles and an looking to break a four-game RBI. Ingersoll more than losing slide this week. doubled his RBI total, As a team, the Crusaders entering the UW series with are batting .239, while their :;J, just 10 RBI in 10 games, but opponents are hitting .344. g; now is second on the team Defensively, Valpo has turned with 21 RBI. 15 double plays and has a ft:,;;tfK ,, ,Senior RF Amos Bright has fielding percentage of .935. ';Jf""'fl 5 also been stellar from the The staff ERA is 7.45, while 'it,.·· ~ plate. Brig~t was 6-for-12 VU's opponents have a 3.29 ! (.500) in the Washington average. Relief pitcher Roger ~ma=::::i:iio:f!iJ'i2 series, with two doubles, two. Cox is the team's ERA leader Jarod Ingersoll RBI and five runs scored. with an 0.87 average in 10.1 Bright is currently ricing a sixinnings. game hitting streak, with multiple hits in four of SUU enters this week's series with a 9-10 those contests. He is in the running for SUU's mark after taking two of three from PAC-1O foe "triple crown·, leading the team and Mid-Con in Washington last week. The 'Birds took the home runs (7) and RBI (24) and is second on the opener 13-8 in St. George after snow in Cedar team in hitting at .412. City forced the relocation of the opening two Senior LHP Zach Barnard won for the sixth games of the series. The Huskies evened the time in seven starts (6-1) in the opener vs. series at a game apiece with a 16-1 1 win in Washington, marking the best overall start by an game two. SUU returned the the friendly SUU pitcher in school history. Barnard is the confines of Thunderbird Park and rallied from a staff leader in ERA (5.80), innings pitched (45.0) 6-1 deficit with four-run sixth and a seven-run and strikeouts (25). e g a Senior Andi Moreno, junior Melinda Francom and sophomore Ashlee Berge also played well, but all lost tough matches to the Aggies. USU was ahead 4-2 before heading into doubles. The coaches had decided on a nine-point format before the match, which meant ttiat each game of the three doubles would count as a point. After a rain delay, the teams took to the courts again for the doubles matches. The Aggies swept all three matches 8-6, 8-2, 8-5. With the loss, SUU falls to 6-4 overall, but is sitting near the top of the Mid-Con standings tied for second at 5-1 . "The team is the best this year out of all the four years I've been here," said Ferrandez. SUU came into the match having played five MidCon opponents in the past week, winning four of the matches. The lone loss came to first-place Oral Roberts, who is undefeated in Mid-Con play. "We've played great latel; everyone has picked it up,· said Romero. "This is totally a team sport." The team members have shown each other support by cheering their teammates on. After a match, the SUU players start screaming support for their teammates who are still playing. "It helps me when people watch, · said Ferrandez. "I play better when I hear cheering.· The 'Birds have the week off to prepare before facing three Mid-Con opponents next week. SUU travels to play Valparaiso and Western Illinois on April 8 in Macomb, 111. , then Chicago State on April 9 in Chicago. Then the 'Birds will have a rematch with Utah State on April 14 and face University of Utah on April 15 before playing in the Mid-Con Tournament on April 29-30. Softball gan,e called during sixth inning out at second. Southern Utah University's The Ducks tied the game in the softball team dropped a solofirst when Jenni Jodoin doubled, game 5-1 against number-12 ranked Oregon State in Corvallis, bringing Tarrah Beyster home Ore., in a rain-shortened game. from second. The game was called off in the The Ducks scored a run in the middle of the sixth inning due to second and third innings, then heavy rain. The Thunderbirds added two in the fifth. OSU had dropped to 3-24. 11 hits during their· five innings at The 'Birds improved their bat. Lori Sheph~rd took the loss, fielding, however, with an falling to 2-10. errorless outing. SUU's Joni SUU returns home to open Mid-Continent Conference play Bardsley opened the scoring for SUU with a solo home run to left with a set of doubleheaders center in the first inning. This was against UMKC Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday at the team's only noon. At the hit in the game as the 'Birds start of the struggled at the season, SUU plate for the rest was picked to of the game. finish fourth in The only the conference. 'Birds to reach Before the the bases in the roadtrip, SUU game were head Coach Kolbi Clothier Laurel and Emily Simmons said Cederholm, that she thinks both in the the non-league second inning. games will help Cloither walked ~ the team get and Cederholm ·~ ready for the got to first base QMid-Con. ~.._,.•~ "My thought as the next batter on a ~ has always fielder's choice. ~ been if we're Cloither hit "' still standing, the ball to the o we'll be in good shape,· said shortstop, wtio Renee Hietbrink winds up in a recent game against Utah State. Simmons. threw Cloither I· |