The University of Utah's softball team couldn't quite cut it against the Arizona State Sun Devils last Friday, as they fell 7-2 in a conference matchup at the Dumke Family Softball Stadium. Reese Lee did her best to spark the Utes' offense with a two-hit performance, including a critical two-run triple, as reported by Utah Utes, but her efforts weren’t enough to claim the win.
With their latest loss, Utah's record worsens to a less-than-stellar 12-28 for the season and 4-9 in the Big 12. The Sun Devils set the tone early, nabbing the game’s first run in the second inning following a walk, a sac, and a timely single by Samantha Swan. Despite a bullet of a throw from left fielder Shelbi Ortiz that nailed a runner at home, the tone was set, and the momentum was already favoring ASU at this point in the game.
The Utes managed a brief lead after infield singles from Jolie Mayfield and Hailee White preceded Lee's run-scoring triple in the bottom of the second. The lead, fragile as it was, didn't hang around for long. ASU's persistent attack saw them even the score in the subsequent frame and eventually uncork a five-run rally that wrote the final chapters in Utah's Friday night script.
Regarding next steps, the two teams weren't scheduled for much downtime. According to the Utah Utes, they were to meet again the following day at 5 p.m. back at Dumke. And for the Utah faithful still holding on to hope for a season turnaround, there's always the option to snag season tickets through the Utah ticket office or at www.utahtickets.com/softball/.
