U. comeback spoiled

When UNLV's first baseman walked off the field, she made an extra effort to stop and talk with Karina Cannon. Her words were: "Way to come back."

It was during the previous series between the two in Las Vegas that Cannon slid back into first base and that first baseman. The result was a dislocated shoulder — her pitching shoulder.

The senior missed 20 games but came back and pitched for Utah late in the season, including senior day Saturday afternoon. Cannon scattered nine hits over 6.0 innings, allowing only one run. But the Utes committed five errors, which led to five unearned runs — or the difference in the 8-3 loss.

The defeat marked the second day in a row Utah watched its early lead against UNLV unravel, equaling a weekend sweep for the Rebels. The game was a chance for Utah to finish above .500 for the season, but instead the Utes are 25-26-1 overall and 5-14 in league play.

However, the final game of Utah's 2007 campaign didn't mark the end of Cannon's career. The Australia native will be one of four pitchers on Great Britain's national team this summer.

"My mom is from England so I can have dual citizenship and that's why I can be a part of the team," Cannon said. "We're playing in Amsterdam and Italy to try and qualify for the final softball Olympics in China in 2008.

"I think that's one of the only reasons today wasn't so hard. I don't have to hang up my cleats yet, and I have a chance to keep playing after missing a lot of the season here. It was hard at first to come back this year, and very frustrating to not do what I wanted to do. I just didn't have any strength. I really just wanted to do what I could for the team, and playing on senior day was really special."

Cannon wasn't the only Ute senior to end her career on Saturday. Meghan Dyer tossed the final inning and leaves with 469 career strikeouts, which ranks fourth all-time at Utah. Dyer finished the year with a 17-14 record, while Cannon was 7-11.