SALT LAKE CITY –
Sophie Jacquez belted a game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth and
Aliya Belarde tallied the winning run on an error in the seventh as the No. 19 University of Utah softball team erased a 3-0 deficit to come away with a 4-3 win over the No. 5 Stanford Cardinal on Saturday afternoon in Pac-12 Conference action at Dumke Family Softball Stadium.
This triumph secures a series victory for the Utes over the Cardinal, the first time Utah has won a series against a top five team since they took two of three from No. 1 Arizona in 2017. The Utes have now strung together five straight wins, are 28-8 on the season and 10-4 in the Pac-12, putting them in second place.
"What a fun day!" said head coach
Amy Hogue. "We never gave up. [Sydney] did her job to keep us close and Sarah had an excellent two innings to put this game in the hands of our hitters and they came through."
Through five innings, the Cardinal were in control, holding the Utes to just three singles while plating one run in the second and two more in the fourth for a three-run advantage, but Utah's bats came to life in the sixth.
Ellessa Bonstrom started that frame by earning a lead-off walk, then
Julia Jimenez sliced the first pitch she saw into the right field corner for an RBI triple. That brought up Jacquez, who jumped all over a 1-1 offering and sent it sailing over the wall in right-center for a two-run round-tripper that tied the score.
"The sixth inning seems to be our favorite," said Hogue. "Tying the game up with Sophie's big home run put us in the driver's seat."
The Ute who made sure the game stayed tied was
Sarah Ladd, who, after entering in relief in the sixth and tossing a 1-2-3 inning, replicated that feat in the seventh. In two innings of work, Ladd faced six batters, retired them all and would collect her third win.
Stanford needed just two pitches to get the first two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but a Belarde single gave the Utes life and another walk to Bonstrom moved Belarde into scoring position. When Jimenez's bouncer eluded River Mahler at second base, Belarde raced home with the Utes' fifth straight win.
"The bottom of the seventh was just fun," said Hogue. "Belarde was good all day and the walk by Bonstrom put Belarde in scoring position. And we love when [Julia] is up with the game on the line. It was fun to see her come through for her team."
Up Next
The Utes will have the chance to claim a series sweep on Sunday, when they'll take on the Cardinal at 12 p.m.
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