Zinanti led BYU from the circle this season with a 20-7 record and a 1.55 ERA spanning 37 appearances. She was named Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year on Monday. During the 2009 season Zinanti poster her second 20-win season, only the third 20-win season in BYU history. She broke the all-time wins, innings pitched and strikeout record earlier this season.

SUU

SOFTBALL: Southern Utah needed late inning heroics in the top of the tenth inning as Ray Wright delivered an RBI triple and later scored on a sacrifice fly to give the Thunderbirds a 9-7 victory over South Dakota State on Thursday afternoon in Brookings, S.D. The victory moves the T-Birds to 26-19 overall and 15-4 in Summit League play. The Jackrabbits drop to 21-28 and 14-10 in the conference play with the loss.

SUU began the game with an early 3-1 lead after two runs in the top of the second and another run in the top of the third. The scoring started on a two-run RBI single through the right side by Colby Ford, scoring Matt Sanford and Keli'i Zablan in the second. SDSU answered with one run in the home half of the frame on an RBI double.

However, Southern Utah kept pace with the run in the top of the third on an RBI double off the bat of Chester Wilson. The Thunderbirds had a 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the fourth inning after an RBI single by Ray Wright in the frame, but three runs by the Jackrabbits in the home half of the inning squared up the score 4-4. SDSU then took their first lead of the game on a sacrifice fly ball in the bottom of the fifth, making the score 5-4.

The T-Birds came back to tie the game for a second time in the top of the seventh inning with an RBI single by Bucky Aona with men on the corners. South Dakota State recaptured the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning as a lead-off double turned into a run on a fielder's choice with one out on the board, making the score 6-5.

The lead changed hands again in the top of the ninth inning as Derek Pena hit a pinch-hit two-run single in the top of the ninth with the bases loaded to give the T-Birds a 7-6 lead. However, the lead was short lived as Joel Blake hit a clutch lead-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 7-7.

Southern Utah broke the tie in the top of the tenth inning, taking advantage of a throwing error during the lead-off at bat of Garrett Messerly. Blake Olsen crossed the plate two batters later as a pinch runner, making the most of an RBI triple off the bat of Wright. Wright then score on the next at bat on a sacrifice fly ball by Bo Cuthbertson.

Zablan closed out the victory for the Thunderbirds on the mound after coming in the ninth and recording the final five outs of the contest, including one strikeout. The senior moved to 3-0 on the season after 1.2 innings of work, allowing one hit and two walks with one strikeout. SDSU's Caleb Thielbar dropped to 4-8 on the season after four innings where he allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts.

The two teams will take to the field again Friday in a doubleheader with the first pitch scheduled for noon.