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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Monday, March 5, 2012 7 BASEBALL Utes start strong, come up short Bubba Brown Game STAFF WRITER After Friday's n-o win over Alabama-Birmingham, the Utes' most complete effort this season, the weekend looked promising for a Utah revival. In the end, however, the series ended up as just more of the same for a Utah team that continues to struggle to gain its footing on the field. The Utes (2-9) used Joe Pond's seven-inning gem — perhaps the best outing by a Utah starter this season — and an offensive outburst to beat UAB on Friday, but the momentum failed to carry over. The Utes scored just two combined runs the rest of the series, which led to losses in both Saturday's (2-I in ii innings) and Sunday's (7-I) games. "We had opportunities to score and didn't get it done," said head coach 1 2 UTAH: 1 UAB: 0 3 27 )) NEXT GAME: UTAH @ SANTA CLARA Tuesday at 7 p.m. Santa Clara, Calif. Bill Kinneberg. "It's disappointing for me, our coaching staff and our play- ers, the way we came out after [the weekend's games]." Pond allowed just four baserunners in his seven scoreless innings Friday to give the Utes something they have been sorely missing — a quality outing from a starter. The offense did its part, too, battering the Blazers (8-3) for it runs, the most the Utes have scored all season. After inclement weather stopped play in the ninth, the Utes finished Saturday with a victory before the start of the second game. After having come into the games struggling to score runs, the Utes surprisingly did most of their damage against UAB ace Dillon Napoleon, an All-Conference USA pitcher who finished last season with a scant 2.87 ERA. "We got beat in every aspect," said Blazers' head coach Brian Shoop in a UAB press release after Friday's game. "It is unusual to see Dillon get hit, but he is human. You hate to play a physical team with the wind blowing out. We were hoping that Dillon's sink would keep balls on the ground, but he was up today, and they took advantage of it." Shoop's description of Utah as a physical team was telling for the Utes, who have said all season that they have the pieces to create a consistent, SOFTBALL powerful offense. After performing well enough to be described in such a manner on Friday, the final two games of the series left the Utes underwhelmed and illustrated just how much they've struggled to maintain any momentum. "We had a great approach on Friday," Kinneberg said. "We did a great job of taking away their pitcher's strengths, then we did none of that Saturday or [Sunday]. I'm very disappointed in that." Brock Duke threw six innings of one-run ball in the second game — giving the Utes their second consecutive quality outing from a starter — but the offense fizzled, which led to the 2-1 loss in it innings. Josh Alexander's RBI single in the second gave the Utes a t-o lead, but the Blazers capitalized on an error from shortstop James Brooks to tie the game continued from Page 6 a whole lot in the grand scheme of gymnastics, Utah was able to top Oregon State since the Beavers didn't perform as well as expected either. Reigning Pac-to gymnast of the year Leslie Mak's 9.675 on bars had to be counted as Melanie Jones scored just a 9.325 on Oregon State's opening event. Thanks to Utah's dominant vault set, the Red Rocks took a 49.425-48.85 lead after one rotation. Despite Utah's struggles in the middle two events, Oregon State couldn't capitalize on those mistakes — neither team broke 48.9 on the middle events. The Red Rocks' floor set, which closed the meet, only served to widen Utah's narrow margin of victory. The night was more about Utah's struggles than its win or Oregon State's faults, however. "We're competing like the team that we are," Marsden said. "We're made up of pri- Derek Siddoway STAFF WRITER Somebody forgot to remind the New Mexico Lobos that Generra Nielson still pitches for the Utes. In another weekend of stellar performances, the Utes toppled the No. 24 Lobos in a game, during which Nielson surrendered only one run in seven innings of play. Utah extended its winning streak to it games and improved its overall record to 15-3 in an undefeated showing at the New Mexico Invitational. "We hoped to be right where we are — three weekends in and 15 wins," said Utah head coach Amy Hogue. "[The team] has gone out and gotten that and prepared hard. We have put ourselves right where we want to do season and postseason damage when we get there." In two games against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, Utah showed clutch pitching in a 4-3 win Saturday and then offensive prowess in an 18-2 thrashing in five innings Sunday. "We are a really good hitting team, and I feel like we knew that the first game [against North Dakota] and showed that in the second game," Hogue said. "It was just a matter of time that we were going to break out." And break out they did. After Whitney Holm's double in the first inning of Sunday's game, several Utes widened the gap. Among the Utes' decisive plays were sophomore Naomi Amu's first career grand slam and freshman Kendal Bergman's first career home run. "I feel like we have figured out what it is that every player on this team does well, and we have brought it all together and learned how to win as a team," Hogue said. "If you look at our numbers this weekend, so many different people contributed in these wins. We are pulling people off the bench and hitting home runs and RBIs with two outs. These things are the makings of a championship team." NEW MEXICO: 1 D NEXT GAME: UTAH vs. BYU Wednesday at 3 p.m. Ute Softball Field Although the Utes are putting up big numbers, it is their fundamental approach to play that is really making the difference. Holm, who hit her eighth home run of the season, said the team is adjusting to Hogue's coaching and is personally leaving everything at the plate her senior season. "We were told yesterday to work on the little things," Holm said. "I got up to bat and wasn't trying to hit a home run or a triple, I was just trying to get on base. Defensivewise, Generra helped out on the mound, and our defense didn't really have to do much. It is nice to know we have an offense and a defense that are so powerful." Nielson echoed the statements of her fellow senior, noting that her teammates' hitting relieves pressure on the mound. "I thought the offense was just amazing," Nielson said. "[In the North Dakota game] Naomi comes in and the first pitch hits a bomb, Mariah [Ramirez] got a run in and Katelyn Elliot had a line drive. With them putting up that many runs, I was able to be loose and have fun." A loose Nielson pitching is definitely one of Utah's keys to success. The single run she gave up in the New Mexico game was a home run in the first inning and could have swung the game in the Lobos' favor. Instead, Hogue said that her star pitcher "did something to New Mexico that no one else has done." Nielson wanted that game and made sure the run was New Mexico's last. "We are serious about this," Nielson said. "We are going to give it our all no matter who we are playing." bubba@ chronicle.utah.edu marily freshmen and sophomores, and we're just kind of all over the place. It's not the same people making the same mistakes week after week. It's different people and different things. From my perspective, it's a little inexplicable because they appear to be prepared in practice." Looking at the season as a whole, Friday night did nothing to help Utah's march toward the postseason. Needing to top 197.15 to boost their Regional Qualifying Score, the Red Rocks had to get a perfect 5o on the last rotation just to tie that number. That did not happen, though the set was an impressive bookend to an otherwise average night. "They've got to quit competing like frightened bunnies," Marsden said. "Their whole motto this year has been 'Women at War,' and we haven't looked like women at war. We've just got to get on a mission and go out there and quit thinking so much and cornpete like we train." AVERAGE Utah's winning streak extends to 11 in N.M. in the seventh. Closer Tyler Wagner threw four and one-third effective innings in relief, but the Blazers used a squeeze play in the nth to score the winning run. Unlike the first two games of the series in which the Utes received stellar outings from their starters, a poor performance from starter Ben Mordini doomed the Utes on Sunday. Mordini walked or hit the first three batters he faced, forcing Kinneberg to dig into his bullpen before the Utes recorded an out. Three runs eventually scored in the inning, and the Blazers added single runs in the fourth and fifth to put the game out of distance. After scoring an unearned run in the top of the first, the Utes came up empty the rest of the way and never really threatened to make it close. r.mcdonald@chronicle.utah.edu IglailV JOB POSTING GROUP LEADERS (10.15 kids) for SLC School District After School program 19.5 hrslwk; 11•TH 2:30.5:30/6pm and Fridays 12:30-5:30/6pm. Start at $9.50 per hour. Send resume to: heidi.clark@slcschools.org or call 578.8275 University MEDIA SALES GROUP ANSWER TO TODAY'S PUZZLE Answers can be found on the website at www.s udo ku.com MMME ©©m B® ®P® A OE ME UM MUMM MUM EMMA FIUME MMEM M MOM ®mR MUM ME EMEUMEEM UM =MU E UM ©AUP A ®® EMU AUDEN UUMMMEE UMM UM MU ©© D DUMB MMUM M M UM MEM 0 M M MM ©©©©R AMOM D ©©® M E MEEM d.siddoway@chronicle.utah.edu popculturecomics.com C.) Doug Bratton 2012 vews • 2008 youth vote breaks records Tviouarr Theeenter for Information and Research on Civic . Learning and Engagement estimatpditba 23-e'rhIllion mark would be the new record for,thevOling bracket for Americans age 18 to 29. ,A U honors veterans ,F,APRooks share IA -too The U honored Charles Goodliffi4hilitti.on 92 th" 0_11 4VMM year, for his military service in World Veterans Day celetrgo _s kottriprn-ITQp. wom -esiffiliSeg i" - n 7 - • N Do Yeti N www.dailyutahchronicle.corn - DENNIS coULDN'T GET MY NPRE MENAcING... AND Ti-leN NE McAlstke A 7.043IE. 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