Utah State rally comes up short, Weber State makes strides

LOGAN — Utah State softball faltered in its final game in the Red Desert Classic, as South Dakota gained control early in the action before USU mounted a late game rally that came up just short, falling 5-4.

The Aggies fell to 0-5 on the young season and will next see action in the Hillenbrand Invitational in Tucson, Ariz.

The Aggies tried to overcome an early 4-0 deficit. Junior outfielder Rachael Hunsaker lifted a single into right field and advanced to second when junior infielder Kassandra Uchida put a ball in play that was not fielded cleanly by the Coyotes second baseman. Nicole Arata followed with a single to leftfield, allowing Hunsaker to score and pull Utah State within a run of South Dakota, 5-4.

USU added to the late-game scoring threat as Froton drew a walk to load the bases with two outs but could not complete the come-from-behind victory.

The Aggies will next see action on Feb. 15, as they once again travel south to take part in the Hillenbrand Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. Utah State will open its five-game set in the Invitational with a bout against Big-10 foe Purdue.

SEATTLE 5, WEBER STATE 0: At St. George, the Weber State University softball team made strong strides during its opening weekend, but the Wildcats also showed some roughness around the edges that need to be ironed out.

Several of those rough edges showed through during their final contest of the Red Desert Classic on Sunday afternoon in a 5-0 setback to former Pacific Coast Softball Conference rival Seattle University.

Senior center fielder London Clarke was one of four Wildcats who earned hits against the Redhawks, as she hammered out a double, as did freshman left fielder Rudi Barrios.

Freshman Jazmine Thompson got a single as a pinch-hitter, while junior right-hander/first baseman Jasmine Loane also got a hit.

Weber State will be back in action on Feb. 22 against Boise State in the opening game of the UC Riverside Invitational.