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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Thursday, March 3, 2011 7 Utes hope to break slump in Florida Bryan Chouinard SOFTBALL NOTEBOOK SPORTS EDITOR With three weekend tournaments under their belts, the Utes sit at 6-11, despite a winning record at the season-opening Kajikawa Classic. Since the 3-2 start, each tournament record has been worse than the last for Utah, going 2-4 at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic and 1-5 at last weekend's Cathedral City Classic. Although the Utes have been able to get wins over programs such as Ole Miss, Nevada and Western Michigan, they have struggled with the premier teams in the country, going just 1-6 against teams ranked in the Top 25 and being outscored 43-26. Utah's lone win against a Top 25 team came during the first tournament of the year when it knocked off No. 7 Arizona State 3-1 in eight innings. RICHARD PAYSON/The Daily Utah Chronicle Tia Palauni has had a hit in all 10 games that she has played but has missed seven games because of injuries. Power from first First baseman Tia Palauni has car- ried the Utes at the plate all season— when she has been able to stay on the field. Palauni missed last weekend's games because of a back injury and has only been able to play in io of the team's 17 games. When Palauni has been able to get on the field, she has been a power at the plate, leading Utah in nearly every offensive category. The junior has proven her worth, as she has gotten a hit in each game she has played this season. Her batting average of .593 is .28 higher than any other player on the team. She also leads the Utes in home runs (4), slugging percentage (1.148), onbase percentage (.676) and is tied for the team lead in runs batted in with 15. Tied with Palauni in RBI is her backup at first base, Cheyella Myers. The freshman, who also backs up Whitney Holm at third base, hit her first career grand slam during the weekend against Nevada to help the Utes to their second win of the season over the Wolf Pack. Myers took advantage of the playing time during the weekend and finished the Cathedral City Classic with five hits, seven RBIs and two runs. Moving Forward The Utes hope to get back to their winning ways this weekend when they take part in the Big io, Mountain West Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference Challenge in Tallahassee, Fla. Unlike any of the previous three tournaments the Utes played this season, this weekend they will only play two teams, but play each team twice. Saturday, Utah will start with an early matchup with Wisconsin before meeting Florida State later in the day. Sunday will follow the same schedule against the Badgers and Seminoles. Both Wisconsin (42) and Florida State (9-7) come into the weekend with winning records. Wisconsin is fresh off the Texas Invitational, which was the first of its season. Florida State, on the other hand, has more games under its belt and comes into the weekend with a lineup that boasts four different players with batting averages above .300 and three with io or more RBIs. b.chouinard@ chronicle.utah.edu you may need a crystal ball to see the future... • but for current, breaking news, look into www.dallyutahchronicle.com 2011 U TA "" GYMNivc* . FRIDAY, MARCH 4* 7 PM UTAH vs./ FLORIDA Senior Night with the Stars FREE WITH U-ID 7 PM JON M. HUNTSMAN CENTER utahutes.com |